By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Jan. 30 -- Statoil ASA spudded the first well Jan. 26 on South Pars gas development project, phases 6-8, off Iran. In this phase of the project, 30 production wells will each be drilled to 4,000 m TMD.
For this work, Statoil chartered the Rani Woro drilling rig, owned by Indonesia's PT Apexindo Pratama Duta in Jakarta, for a 3 year drilling program.
Iran's Pars Oil & Gas Co., which is in charge of the overall South Pars development, has a 5 year contract with Japan Drilling Co. for the Sagadrill 2 rig, which is being chartered to Statoil for as long as 3 years. Sagadrill 2 is scheduled to spud its first well as soon as the second jacket for the wellhead platforms has been installed.
The first of three jackets in phases 6-8 was installed on the field Jan. 5, and the two others currently are being completed (OGJ Online, Jan. 7, 2004). The second jacket will be deployed to the field in early February.
