STAVANGER, Norway -- The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted Aker BP ASA a drilling permit for well 24/9-11 S, cf. Section 8 of the Resource Management Regulations.

Well 24/9-11 S will be drilled from the Transocean Arctic drilling facility, at position 59°29’6.79’’ north and 01°50’7.65” east.

The drilling program for well 24/9-11 S relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 150 B. Aker BP ASA is the operator with an ownership interest of 65%, while Lundin Norway AS is a licensee with an ownership interest of 35%. Production licence 150 B was awarded in 2011 (APA 2010).

The area in this production licence is located in the central part of the North Sea, and consists of parts of block 24/9, which borders on the UK shelf. The well will be drilled southwest of 24/9-5 Volund field. This is the first well to be drilled within the production licence.    

The permit is contingent upon the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities prior to commencing drilling activities.