Equinor has received consent from Norwegian regulator to use Transocean Enabler rig for production drilling/completion and drilling of exploration segment in the Barents Sea.

The Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority (Havtil) issued a permit to Equinor for drilling operations at Johan Castberg field.

Equinor will use Transocean Enabler semi-submersible rig to execute the work. The rig is of the CAT D (GVA 4000 NCS) type, built at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in South Korea in 2016.

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Johan Castberg is a field in the Barents Sea, 100 kilometers northwest of the Snøhvit field. The water depth is 370 metres. Johan Castberg consists of the three discoveries Skrugard, Havis and Drivis, proven between 2011 and 2013.

The discoveries will be developed together, and the plan for development and operation (PDO) was approved in June 2018. The development concept is a production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) with additional subsea solutions including 18 horizontal production wells and 12 injection wells.

The field is currently under development, with the production scheduled to start in 2024.