OMV Norge Receives Drilling Permit for Wildcat Wells in Norwegian Sea

OMV Norge, a subsidiary of Austria’s OMV, has been granted a drilling permit by Norwegian authorities for two wildcat wells in the Norwegian Sea. This allows the company to commence drilling operations this month using a semi-submersible rig managed by Odfjell Drilling, an offshore drilling contractor.

The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has approved OMV Norge’s drilling permit for the wellbores 6606/4-1 S and 6606/4-1 A in production license 1194, which was awarded in February 2023 and is valid until 2029. OMV Norge operates the license with a 40% ownership interest, while Inpex Idemitsu Norway and Our Energy hold 30% each. The drilling of both wells is scheduled for May 2025 using the Deepsea Bollsta rig, owned by Northern Ocean.

The Deepsea Bollsta rig, a sixth-generation semi-submersible rig of Moss CS60E design, can accommodate 140 people and operate in water depths of up to 3,000 meters. OMV Norge’s recent exploration efforts in the Norwegian Sea resulted in a gas discovery with estimated recoverable volumes ranging from 30 to 140 million barrels of oil equivalent.

While the company’s exploration activities in the Norwegian Sea have been successful, a recent drilling operation in the North Sea did not yield favorable results as the well turned out to be dry. Despite this setback, OMV Norge remains committed to its exploration efforts in the region.