Mixed results in Statoil’s two wells offshore Norway

Norwegian oil company Statoil is in the process of concluding the drilling of a wildcat and an appraisal well offshore Norway that resulted in a minor oil discovery and a dry well. 

The wells are located in production licence 035 in the North Sea, offshore Norway, where Statoil is the operator. The oil company was granted a drilling permit for the two wells from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) in April 2016.

The wells, the wildcat well 30/11-12 S and appraisal well 30/11-12 A, were drilled two kilometres south of the 30/11-9 A (Askja Øst) discovery, and about 35 km southwest of the Oseberg Sør platform in the North Sea.

According to the petroleum agency, the objective of well 30/11-12 S was to prove petroleum in three sandstone layers in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Tarbert formation). The objective of well 30/11-12 A was to delineate in the event a discovery was made in 30/11-12 S.

The well 30/11-12 S encountered a 37-metre oil column in the upper part of the Tarbert formation, of which about 30 metres had good to moderate reservoir properties. Well 30/11-12 A, which was drilled further down on the structure, encountered similar reservoir rocks, but is dry.

Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery at between 0.7 and 2.5 million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalents. The discovery will be included in the evaluation of a new field development, along with other earlier discoveries in the area, the NPD said.

Data has been collected and samples have been taken in both wells.

Wells 30/11-12 S and 30/11-12 A were drilled to vertical and total depths of 3669 and 3671 metres, respectively, and 3609 and 4144 metres below the sea surface. 30/11-12 S was terminated in the Ness formation and 30/11-12 A was terminated in the Tarbert formation.

The well 30/11-12 S was terminated in the Ness formation, and 30/11-12 A in the Tarbert formation.

The wells are the 12th and 13th exploration wells in production licence 035. The licence was awarded in the 2nd licensing round in 1969.

Water depth is 110 metres. The wells have been permanently plugged and abandoned.

Wells 30/11-12 S and 30/11-12 A were drilled by the Songa Delta drilling rig, which will continue its drilling campaign with the drilling of wildcat well 30/11-13 S in the same production licence, where Statoil Petroleum is the operator.