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OSLO, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Statoil could drill itsfirst well in the Salina Basin offshore Mexico in 2018 at theearliest, its exploration chief told Reuters on Tuesday.
Statoil on Monday was awarded oil exploration acreageoffshore Mexico in partnership with BP and Total.
The companies won stakes in blocks 1 and 3 in the SalinaBasin in Mexico's first round of deepwater exploration tenders,with a committment to drill one well in each block.
"I would say not earlier than in 2018," Statoil explorationchief Tim Dodson told Reuters when asked when the company couldbegin to drill offshore Mexico.
"We need to do more detailed mapping before deciding whereto drill. This is truly a frontier area."
He declined to comment on Statoil's global drilling campaignfor 2017, as the company has so far only publically confirmedplans to drill some five wells in the Barents Sea. (Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis and Stine Jacobsen, editing byTerje Solsvik and Gwladys Fouche)