The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Det norske oljeselskap ASA a drilling permit for well 25/10-15 S, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations. Well 25/10-15 S will be drilled from the Maersk Interceptor drilling facility at position 59°05’14.49’’ north 02°14’13.78’’ east.
The drilling programme for well 25/10-15 S relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 626, where Det norske oljeselskap ASA is the operator with an ownership interest of 50 per cent. The other licensees are Tullow Oil Norge AS with 30 per cent, MOL Norge AS with 10 per cent and Fortis Petroleum Norway AS with 10 per cent.
The area in this licence consists of part of block 25/10. The well will be drilled in the northeastern part of the licence, which is located in the central North Sea.
Production licence 626 was awarded on 3 February 2012 (APA 2011). This is the first exploration well to be drilled in the licence, but the third well within the area in which the licence is located.
The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing drilling activities.