Offshore rig owner Noble Corporation has secured work for its jackup Noble Innovator on the UK North Sea carbon storage project.
The New York-listed Texas-headquartered driller has won a new contract from BP which will see the 2003-built ultra-harsh environment unit drill six firm wells for the Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP).
The BP-operated NEP is developing infrastructure to transport CO2 from carbon capture projects across Teesside and the Humber to secure storage under the North Sea, with start-up expected in 2028.
Noble has experience in CCS drilling, including its work on Ineos-led Project Greensand in the Danish North Sea. The company recently achieved a significant milestone in CCS rig technology by securing technical qualification from the class society DNV for its work on evaluating how CO₂ operations affect rig systems and defining the technical solutions needed to safely support offshore CO₂ operations.
Blake Denton, senior vice president of marketing and contracts at Noble, said that supporting the Northern Endurance Partnership advances the company’s role in delivering the well infrastructure behind the UK’s net-zero ambitions and reinforces Noble’s leadership in offshore carbon storage.
The rig’s contract, which will be in direct continuation of current employment with BP, is expected to start in the third quarter of 2026 and comes with options attached for additional wells. Financial terms have not been disclosed. The unit is currently on a $145,000 per day deal until September, after which the day rate will be increased by $10,000, according to Noble’s fleet status report.