OSLO, Norway, July 8 (UPI) -- The Norwegian government announced Monday it gave its consent for the deployment of two drilling rigs in its territorial waters.
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate said it gave its consent to Det Norske to start an exploration campaign in the southern waters of the North Sea. The government said drilling should last about 60 days once it begins Aug. 1. The rig is targeting reserves in shallow waters.
Det Norske focuses its activity in the Norwegian continental shelf. The company last week reported its physical production for June at 9,655 barrels of oil per day. The company added it purchased a geological survey from the government to examine the reserve potential in the Barents Sea.
NPD said Monday it gave Lundin Petroleum approval to conduct exploratory drilling in the central waters of the North Sea using a mobile drilling platform. The energy regulator said the campaign should last about 21 days, but that estimate depends on whether there's a discovery.
NPD Director General Bente Nyland said in June eight discoveries had been made so far this year on the Norwegian Continental Shelf
Norway is a European leader in terms of oil and natural gas production.
