Swedish oil and gas explorer Lundin Petroleum AB has informed that drilling of exploration well 7220/11-1 in PL609, offshore Norway, has begun.
The well will target the Alta prospect, which is located some 20 km northeast of the Gohta discovery in the Barents Sea.
The main objective of well 7220/11-1 is to prove the presence of hydrocarbons in sandstones of Triassic age in addition to carbonates of Permo-Carboniferous age. Lundin Petroleum estimates the Alta prospect to have the potential to contain unrisked, gross prospective resources of 261 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe).
The planned total depth is 2,393 metres below mean sea level and the well will be drilled using the drilling rig Island Innovator. Drilling is expected to take approximately 60 days.
Lundin Norway holds 40 percent interest in PL609. Partners are RWE Dea Norge AS and Idemitsu Petroleum Norge AS with 30 percent each.