Minor Oil Discovery for Statoil in North Sea

Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 090, is in the process of concluding drilling of wildcat well 35/11-17. The well was drilled about one kilometre south of the Fram field in the North Sea.

The well’s primary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Brent group). The secondary target was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Fensfjord formation).

The well encountered a 48-metre gross oil column in the Brent group, 10 metres of which has good reservoir quality in the Etive and Rannoch formations. A 38-metre gross oil column was encountered in the Fensfjord formation, 20 metres of which has good reservoir quality. Oil/water contact was established in both the primary and secondary exploration targets.

An approx. 10-metre oil column was also encountered in Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Oseberg formation) with good reservoir quality.

The well was not formation tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out.

The preliminary size of the discovery has been estimated at between one and three million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalents.

The licensees in production licence 090 will evaluate the discovery along with nearby prospects with a view toward further development.

This is the 16th exploration well in production licence 090, which was awarded in the 8th licencing round in 1984.

The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 2889 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in the Cook formation in the Lower Jurassic.

Water depth is 357 metres. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned.

Well 35/11-17 was drilled by the Songa Trym drilling facility, which will move on to drill production well 35/11-A-31 in the same production licence, where Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator.

Press Release, April 30, 2014; Image: NPD