Lundin finds oil and gas in Filicudi prospect

Lundin Norway, operator of production license 533, has completed the drilling of wildcat well 7219/12-1 and appraisal well 7219/12-1 A, in the Barents Sea. The well proved oil and gas.

The company gained a drilling permit for the wildcat in September 2016 and for the appraisal in January 2017. The prospect is named Filicudi.

According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), the wells were drilled about 32 kilometers northwest of discovery well 7220/11-1 (Alta) and about 37 kilometers southwest of discovery well 7220/8-1 Johan Castberg.

The primary and secondary exploration targets for wildcat well 7219/12-1 were to prove petroleum in two Early Jurassic and Late/Middle Triassic reservoir levels (Tubåen and Fruholmen formations). The primary exploration target for appraisal well 7219/12-1 A was to collect geological data in Early Jurassic/Late Triassic sandstone rocks (Nordmela and Tubåen formations).

The well 7219/12-1 proved a total oil column of about 60 meters and an overlying total gas column of about 60 meters, of which 55 meters and 45 meters, respectively, were in sandstone with good reservoir properties in the Tubåen formation. The well 7219/12-1 A confirmed a mostly equivalent gas and oil column in the Nordmela and Tubåen formations with good reservoir properties.

Preliminary estimations of the size of the discovery are between 5.5 and 16 million standard cubic meters (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalents. Further delineation and production testing of the discovery will be assessed.

The wells were not production tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out.

These are the second and third exploration wells in production license 533. The license was awarded in the 20th licensing round in 2009.

The well 7219/12-1 was drilled to a vertical depth of 2475 meters below the sea surface and was terminated in the Snadd formation in Late Triassic. Well 7219/12-1 A was drilled to a vertical depth of 1800 meters below the sea surface and terminated in the Fruholmen formation in Late Triassic. Water depth is 323 meters. The wells will now be temporarily plugged and abandoned.

The wells were drilled by the Ocean Rig-owned semi-submersible drilling rig Leiv Eiriksson, which will now proceed to production license 492 in the Barents Sea to drill appraisal well 7120/1-5 where Lundin Norway is the operator.