The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Aker BP ASA a drilling permit for wells 24/9-15 S and 24/9-15 A, cf. Section 15 of the Resource Management Regulations.
Wells 24/9-15 S and 24/9-15 A will be drilled from the Scarabeo 8 drilling facility in position 59°20 29.01 north and 01°49 55.32 east.
The drilling programme for wells 24/9-15 S and 24/9-15 A relates to the drilling of a wildcat well and an appraisal well in production licence 340. Aker BP ASA is the operator with an ownership interest of 65 per cent, while V?r Energi AS and Lundin Norway AS are licensees with ownership interests of 20 per cent and 15 per cent. Production licence 340 was awarded in 2004 (APA 2004).
The area in this production licence is located in the central part of the North Sea, and consists of parts of block 24/9, which borders on the UK Shelf. The wells will be drilled southwest of the Volund field. These are the seventh and eighth exploration wells to be drilled in the production licence.
The permit is conditional on the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing the drilling activity.