Hit and miss in North Sea: Drilling ops yield new oil find

Norwegian oil and gas player OKEA has made a new oil discovery in an exploration well in the North Sea off the coast of Norway. However, the drilling activity at another well left the firm empty-handed, as no hydrocarbons were found.

While revealing an oil discovery and a dry well in the North Sea, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate explained that OKEA and its partners, Lime Petroleum, DNO Norge, Petrolia Noco, and M Vest Energy in production license 055, discovered oil along the eastern flank of the Brage field. This follows the oil find in the well 31/4-A-13 E (Kim) in 2023. The latest wells are the 13th and 14th exploration wells to be drilled in this production license.

The oil discovery was made in the southern part of the Prince prospect in the wildcat well 31/4-A-23 G, but the well 31/4-A-23 F, which was drilled in the northern part of the Prince prospect, was dry. While the objective of A-23 F was to prove petroleum in Upper Jurassic reservoir rocks in the Sognefjord Formation, the aim of A-23 G was to delineate a potential discovery in A-23 F and to delineate the northern part of 31/4-A-13 E.

The well 31/4-A-23 F was drilled horizontally and encountered a sandstone layer in the Sognefjord Formation with a total measured thickness of 220 meters along the wellbore and 12 meters of vertical thickness with good reservoir properties. This dry well was drilled to a measured depth of 6,285 meters and a vertical depth of 2,153 meters below sea level in the Sognefjord Formation.

On the other hand, the well 31/4-A-23 G, which was drilled horizontally at a vertical depth of between 2,120-2,171 meters along the eastern flank of the Brage field, encountered a 3-4-meter thick sandstone layer in the Sognefjord Formation. This well, which was drilled to a total measured depth of 1,138 meters along this sandstone layer, proved a 20-meter thick oil column in sandstones with moderate to good reservoir properties.

Moreover, the oil/water contact was not encountered. The well, which was drilled to a total measured depth of 10,023 meters and a vertical depth of 2,171 meters below sea level, was terminated in the Heather Formation. While it was not formation-tested, data was collected, with pressure data indicating that the discovery is not in pressure communication with the discovery in 31/4-A-13 E.

The water depth at the site is 140 meters. Both wells have been permanently plugged and abandoned. The preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery between 0.29 – 2.79 million standard cubic meters of oil equivalent in place, which corresponds to 1.9 – 17.5 million barrels.

With the preliminary recovery rate estimates, the discovery is estimated to hold between 0.05 -0.44 million standard cubic meters of recoverable oil equivalent, which corresponds to 0.3 – 2.8 million barrels. 

As a result, the licensees will now assess the deposit as part of the further development of the Brage field, where work is underway to identify new methods to improve recovery, with new wells being drilled, often combined with an investigation of nearby prospects. 

Located in the northern part of the North Sea, 10 kilometers east of the Oseberg field, Brage was proven in 1980, and the plan for development and operation (PDO) was approved in 1990. With production starting in 1993, the field is developed with an integrated production, drilling, and living quarters facility with a steel jacket.  

The latest oil discovery comes several months after OKEA made a final investment decision (FID) for the Brasse project, to be renamed Bestla upon approval of its plans for development and operation (PDO), which will be developed as a tie-back to the Brage platform.