The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has granted Engie E&P Norge a drilling permit for well 36/7-4, offshore Norway.

The well 36/7-4 will be drilled from the Transocean Arctic drilling rig after the rig concludes the drilling of wildcat well 31/7-1 A for Faroe Petroleum Norge in production licence 740.

The company gained consent from the Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) to drill for hydrocarbons in the North Sea with the Transocean’s semi-sub in May this year.

The drilling program for well 36/7-4 relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 636, in the North Sea, It is to be drilled in a prospect named Cara.

Engie E&P Norge is the operator with an ownership interest of 30 per cent. The other licensees are Idemitsu Petroleum Norge (30 per cent), Wellesley Petroleum (20 per cent) and Tullow Oil Norge (20 per cent).

The area in this licence consists of a part of block 36/7. The well will be drilled approx. 55 km southwest of Florø and about 10 km northwest of the Gjøa field.

Production licence 636 was awarded on February 3, 2012 (APA 2011). This is the first well to be drilled within the licence area.