Statoil has kicked off drilling of exploration well 16/2-18S in PL265, west of Johan Sverdrup field, in the Norwegian part of the North Sea. The well will target the Cliffhanger North prospect, located in the North Sea sector of the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).
The well is located in PL265 west of the bounding fault of the Johan Sverdrup discovery and north of the previously tested Cliffhanger South segment in PL265. The main objective of the well is to investigate the presence of Jurassic reservoir and the quality of fractured and weathered basement approximately 3.2 km south-west of well 16/2-14 (Espeværhøgda) and 4.9 km north-west of 16/2-17B (Cliffhanger South).
The planned total depth is approximately 1,970 metres below mean sea level and the well will be drilled using the semi-submersible rig Ocean Vanguard. Drilling is expected to take approximately 40 days.
Statoil Petroleum is the operator of PL265 with 40 percent interest. Partners are Petoro (30%), Det norske oljeselskap (20%), and Lundin Norway (10%).