Statoil, as the operator of production licence 120, has completed drilling of exploration well 34/8-16 S Tarvos on the east flank of the Visund field in the northern part of the North Sea, and about 140 km northwest of Bergen.
The well encountered an oil/gas/condensate column of about 85 metres in the Upper Triassic reservoir rocks, 40 metres of which were of moderate to good reservoir quality.
Reportedly, preliminary calculations of the size of the discovery are between 0.4 and 1.1 million Sm³ of recoverable oil equivalents. The licensees will consider further development of the discovery in the context of other potential additional resources.
The well was not formation tested, but comprehensive data collection and sampling were carried out.
This is the 26th exploration well drilled in production licence 120. Well 34/8-16 S was drilled to a vertical and measured depth of 3875 and 3830 metres below sea level, respectively, and was terminated in the Hegre group in the Triassic. The water depth at the site is 380 metres.
The well, which was drilled by the Songa Trym drilling rig, will now be permanently plugged and abandoned.