Statoil: Gas discovery in Pingvin
Operator Statoil has together with PL713 partners made a gas discovery in the Pingvin prospect in the Barents Sea. The discovery is a play opener in a frontier unexplored area of the Barents Sea northwest of Johan Castberg. The discovery well 7319/12-1, drilled by the drilling rig Transocean Spitsbergen, proved a 15-metre gas column in the well path. Statoil estimates the volumes in Pingvin to be in the range of 30-120 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent. The discovery is currently assessed as non-commercial.
Environmental Challenge Halts Statoil Arctic Oil Well
Norwegian oil company Statoil has had to stop drilling at the Arctic Pingvin prospect because of an appeal against its environmental permit, North Energy, a partner in the project, said on Friday. "The top hole on Pingvin has been drilled," North Energy said in a statement. Environmental groups have challenged Statoil's plans to drill in the far north, its most ambitious Arctic exploration programme to date. The company was forced to halt work briefly at another well in May pending a review. A challenge, brought by Greenpeace, was rejected by authorities within a few days and Statoil completed the well on the Apollo prospect in the Barents Sea without any incident.
Rosneft & Statoil to Explore Norwegian Continental Shelf
18th of August, Rosneft together with Norwegian company Statoil Petroleum AS started exploration operations at the Pingvin License PL713prospect in the Norwegian section of the Barents Sea. The first exploration well Pingvin-1 will be drilled by the Transocean Spitsbergen rig. The water depth is 422 meters and the drilling target total vertical depth (TVD) is 1516 meters. The companies expect to analyse the drilling results until the end of 2014. RN Nordic Oil AS is partner in the licence (PL713) with Statoil (that is the operator), North Energy ASA and Edison International Norway Branch. RN Nordic Oil AS, a subsidiary of Rosneft, will be involved in the operations on the project.
Russian Companies Get Norwegian Arctic Offshore Licenses
Both Rosneft and Lukoil have secured license rights to blocks issued by the Norwegian government in Arctic waters. The massive opening of the Barents Sea for the oil industry includes invitations to Russia’s two powerful Russian petroleum companies, the first ever Russian companies on the Norwegian shelf, reports the 'Barents Observer'. Citing an announcement made by Minister of Petroleum and Energy Ola Borten Boe, Barents Observer says that Rosneft and its Norwegian subsidiary RN Nordic gets 20 percent of one license in the Barents Sea.
