By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Mar. 12 -- Statoil ASA, on behalf of its partners on Production License 128 in the Norwegian Sea, has given a letter of intent to drilling contractor Transocean Inc. to charter its Transocean Arctic drilling rig for work in Norne field and two of its satellites. The contract is valued at 700 million kroner.
The rig's 19-month assignment is a sidetrack to be drilled on Norne, followed by the drilling of seven to eight production and injection wells on nearby Svale and Stær fields, which will be developed with subsea equipment and tied back to Norne (see map, OGJ, Apr. 29, 2002, p. 8).
Drilling is scheduled to begin July 1, provided the license partners and Norwegian authorities approve the satellites' development and operation plan by then.
Norne was discovered in 1991, Svale in the spring of 2000, and Stær in spring 2002.
Operator Statoil holds 40% of the license.
