GDF Suez drills duster in Barents Sea

GDF SUEZ E&P Norge AS, operator of production licence 607, has concluded drilling of wildcat well 7218/8-1 in the Barents Sea.

The well was drilled about 65 kilometres southwest of the oil and gas discovery 7220/8-1 Johan Castberg and 130 km northwest of the Snøhvit field in the Barents Sea.

The well’s primary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Upper Cretaceous reservoir rocks (the Kviting formation) and Lower Cretaceous (upper part of the Kolmule formation). The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks in the lower part of the Kolmule formation.

The well encountered shallow siltstone layers in the Kviting formation with elevated gas readings in a gross interval of about 35 metres. Mobile gas was detected in a sandy siltstone layer. Reservoir rocks were not encountered in the Kolmule formation. The well was classified as dry, with traces of gas.

Comprehensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out.

The well is the first exploration well in production licence 607. The production licence was awarded in the 21st licensing round.

The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 3000 metres below the sea surface and was terminated in Early Cretaceous rocks from the Kolmule formation. Water depth at the site is 385 metres. The well has now been permanently plugged and abandoned.

Well 7218/8-1 S was drilled by the Transocean Barents drilling facility , which will now proceed to production licence 537 in the Barents Sea to drill wildcat well 7324/7-2, where OMV (Norge) AS is the operator.