Compared to last year, the Norwegian multinational oil and gas firm is looking to increase its drilling activity by 30%.
Last year, Statoil drilled 23 exploration wells either as operator or partner with 14 of them confined to NCS.
In its home country, Statoil has prioritized the Barents Sea located 5-7 well exploration campaign in its activity strategy.
Statoil exploration executive vice president Tim Dodson said: “The Barents Sea has yielded several of Norway’s most significant oil discoveries in recent years.
“We are looking forward to test new targets, both in the relatively well known geology around in the Johan Castberg and Hoop/Wisting area, as well as some new frontier opportunities with greater geological uncertainty but also high impact potential. This campaign can provide us with crucial information about the long term future of the Norwegian shelf.”
The company aims to prove near field volumes to extend the productive lifetime of current infrastructure and assess the growth potential in the Norwegian Sea and the North Sea.
Statoil is looking to complete drilling of 16-18 NCS exploration wells in the current year.
Globally, Statoil said that its exploration drilling activity for the year will feature growth prospects in basins where it is already engaged with discoveries and producing fields, and also on the lookout for new frontier.
In other areas, the Norwegian company said that it plans to spud partner operated wells in well-known basins including the US Gulf of Mexico and also in new frontier regions such as Suriname and Indonesia.
Statoil also revealed that it has secured partnerships in Russia and Turkey in onshore exploration projects.
Dodson concluded that during this year, Statoil will carry out drilling activity in 11 countries spread across five continents.
Image: In Norway, the 5-7 well exploration campaign in the Barents Sea is at the core of the activity plan. Photo: courtesy of Ole Jørgen Bratland/Statoil.
