Wintershall Spuds Asha/Noor Well

German explorer Wintershall has spudded the Asha/Noor prospect with the drilling of the 16/1-16 well in the Norwegian North Sea. The well is drilled by the Bredford Dolphin semi-submersible rig.

The well will explore for hydrocarbons in four target zones, partner in the licence Bridge Energy said today. These four zones are the Noor, Mukta, Zechstein and Draupne/Asha prospects. Across these zones, there is the potential for total mean unrisked recoverable resources of 150 million barrels of oil equivalent. As a 20 per cent stakeholder, Bridge Energy will have a net recovery of 30 million barrels of oil equivalent if the prospects prove successful.

The well is located in an area that already has proven highly prospective for hydrocarbons, on the western flank of the Utsira High area, a traditionally oil- and gas-rich area in the Norwegian North Sea.  Bridge Energy also said that the well will have the the potential to appraise two other nearby discoveries: the Ivar Aasen and Apollo discoveries. 

Bridge Energy today said that the discovery had the potential to be a high-return, low-cost asset for the company.

"The well is a high impact exploration well which represents a large net upside potential for Bridge, with the costs associated with drilling operations mitigated by the Norwegian tax rebate system," CEO of Bridge Energy, Tom Reynolds, said. "We will announce results from the well once drilling operations are complete."

Wintershall Norge, as the operator of the licence, holds a 40 per cent stake in the licence. E.ON E&P Norge and VNG Norge each, like Bridge Energy, hold a 20 per cent stake.