Statoil said it recently completed extensive oil spill response drills on Soroya in West Finnmark alongside its drilling partners Eni and Lundin, joined by the Norwegian Clean Seas Association for Operating Companies and local task forces.
"Having tested our oil spill preparedness plans ahead of the imminent drilling operations in the Barents Sea, we can now confirm that they perform as planned," Statoil's new exploration manager for the Barents Sea, Knut Harald Nygard, said in a statement.
Italy's Eni will shortly begin drilling the first of four exploration wells in the Barents Sea planned by the three operators, Statoil said.
Statoil will then drill two wells and Lundin one, in the first exploration wells drilled in the Barents Sea since 2008. The mobile rig Polar Pioneer will be used on all of them.
In June, Norway cut six blocks from the shortlisted acreage in its 21th offshore licensing round amid concerns over potential oil spills in the Barents Sea.
The move followed a decision by the country to not allow drilling on any new deepwater exploration permits before it fully understands the cause of BP's Macondo blowout and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Statoil has been calling for the opening of more exploration in the Barents Sea and Lofoten Island areas for years, but opposition from the fishing and environmental groups over potential spills have thwarted its hopes.
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