Statoil Makes Minor Discovery near Oseberg
Norway's Statoil found gas and condensate with a wildcat well it drilled as the operator of production licence 272, the petroleum directorate said June 9.
The well was drilled 8 km southeast of the 30/11-8 S (Krafla) discovery and about 27 km south of the Oseberg South facility in the North Sea.
The well found gas columns at two levels in the top part of the Tarbert formation, a total of 5 m and 31 m, respectively, of which 4 m and 22 m had good to moderate reservoir properties. The secondary exploration target in the Ness formation was water-bearing.
The preliminary estimate of the size of the discovery is 1-3mn standard m3 of recoverable oil equivalents. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned and the discovery will be included in the evaluation of a new field development along with previous discoveries in the area.
The primary exploration target for the well was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Tarbert formation). The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Ness formation). Well 30/11-13 was drilled to a vertical depth of 3313 metres below the sea surface and was terminated in the Ness formation.
The well, 30/11-13, is the fourth exploration well in production licence 272. It was drilled by the Songa Delta drilling facility, which will continue the campaign with wildcat well 30/11-14 in the same production licence.
William Powell