* Gets its first permit in Gulf of Mexico since BP blowout
* Drilling on Cobra well seen taking place in summer
* Firm had four wells planned for drilling pre-spill
By Gwladys Fouche
OSLO, March 28 (Reuters) - Additional regulation in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill could boost the cost of drilling new oil and gas wells in the Gulf of Mexico by 10 percent, Norway's Statoil (STL.OL) said on Monday.
The company on Friday won its first drilling permit since the accident involving BP (BP.L) last year. It was awarded a licence to drill a new well 7,134 feet (2,174 metres) deep in the waters off Texas, the sixth such permit awarded since the accident. [ID:nN25292936]
"We expect that new and additional regulations will lead to increased costs. An increase of 10 percent could be a good estimate," said Statoil spokesman Baard Glad Pedersen.
Statoil said the well, called Cobra, is due to be drilled during the summer using Maersk Developer, a rig belonging to Maersk Drilling, a unit of Danish shipping and oil group A.P. Moller-Maersk (MAERSKb.CO).
The firm is still awaiting a permit to drill another well, Logan, which, if approved, would be drilled by Transocean's RIG.VX Discoverer Americas.
"With the permit given for Cobra, we are hopeful that we will receive permits also for Logan in the near future," the spokesman said.
The Gulf of Mexico is a key growth area for Statoil, which is the fourth-largest holder of drilling licences in the Gulf of Mexico.
(Editing by Jason Neely)
* Gets its first permit in Gulf of Mexico since BP blowout
* Drilling on Cobra well seen taking place in summer
* Firm had four wells planned for drilling pre-spill
By Gwladys Fouche
OSLO, March 28 (Reuters) - Additional regulation in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill could boost the cost of drilling new oil and gas wells in the Gulf of Mexico by 10 percent, Norway's Statoil (STL.OL) said on Monday.
The company on Friday won its first drilling permit since the accident involving BP (BP.L) last year. It was awarded a licence to drill a new well 7,134 feet (2,174 metres) deep in the waters off Texas, the sixth such permit awarded since the accident. [ID:nN25292936]
"We expect that new and additional regulations will lead to increased costs. An increase of 10 percent could be a good estimate," said Statoil spokesman Baard Glad Pedersen.
Statoil said the well, called Cobra, is due to be drilled during the summer using Maersk Developer, a rig belonging to Maersk Drilling, a unit of Danish shipping and oil group A.P. Moller-Maersk (MAERSKb.CO).
The firm is still awaiting a permit to drill another well, Logan, which, if approved, would be drilled by Transocean's RIG.VX Discoverer Americas.
"With the permit given for Cobra, we are hopeful that we will receive permits also for Logan in the near future," the spokesman said.
The Gulf of Mexico is a key growth area for Statoil, which is the fourth-largest holder of drilling licences in the Gulf of Mexico.
(Editing by Jason Neely)
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