ConocoPhillips Receives Consent to Use Valaris rig for Ekofisk Wells

Oil and gas exploration company ConocoPhillips has received consent from the Norwegian offshore safety watchdog Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), to use a Valaris rig for plugging and abandonment on the Ekofisk field.

The Rowan Norway jack-up drilling rig, now named Valaris JU-292, will be used for the contract. It was built in 2011, and has carried out operations on the field in 2014 and 2016. It is under contract with ConocoPhillips in Norway until next February, and has been under contract since November last year.

According to the Norwegian PSA, the consent applies to the plugging and abandonment of six wells, as well as the removal of conductor casings for five wells that have already been plugged and abandoned on the field.

The Ekofisk field lies in the southern Norwegian part of the North Sea. The water depth in the area is about 70m-75m.