Norway: Statoil’s Skrugard Appraisal Successful

Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 532, is in the process of concluding the drilling of appraisal well 7220/5-1 on the 7220/8-1 (”Skrugard”) gas/oil discovery.  The discovery was proven in 2011 in Middle and Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks.

The appraisal well was drilled about 3 kilometres north of the 7220/8-1 discovery well and 100 kilometres north of the Snøhvit field. Before the appraisal well was drilled, the operator’s resource estimate for the 7220/8-1 discovery was between 25 and 40 million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil and 2-7 billion Sm3 of recoverable gas.

The objective of the well was to delineate the 7220/8-1 gas/oil discovery. The appraisal well encountered a 26-metre gas column and a 48-metre oil column in Middle and Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Stø and Nordmela formations). Column height, reservoir rocks and reservoir quality were as expected.

“We are very satisfied with the results of the first appraisal well on Skrugard. All findings are in line with our expectations. We are now evaluating further exploration drilling in the area,” says Knut Harald Nygård, vice president exploration Skrugard area.

Preliminary calculations have reduced the range of uncertainty for the 7220/8-1 discovery to 35-45 million Sm3 of recoverable oil equivalents.

The 7220/7-1 (”Havis”) discovery was made in the same production licence earlier this year. The total resources for the two discoveries are estimated at between 65-95 million Sm3 of recoverable oil equivalents.

The well was not formation-tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out. The acquired data will provide valuable information for ongoing studies of development concepts for the two discoveries.

“The positive result confirms the basis for a development of Skrugard and Havis. The data and fluid samples acquired from the well are very valuable in our work to establish a robust development solution for the area and our aim to develop the Barents Sea into a core area for Statoil,” says Erik Strand Tellefsen, vice president for Skrugard field development.

“We are currently considering several alternative development concepts. The reservoir engineering work is mainly done in-house while we are in the process of awarding several study contracts to engineering companies for the subsea and platform installations,” Tellefsen adds.

This is the third exploration well in production licence 532. The licence was awarded in the 20th licensing round.

The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 1740 metres below the sea surface and was terminated in the Fruholmen formation in the Upper Triassic. The water depth at the site is 388 metres. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned.

Well 7220/5-1 is being drilled by the Transocean Barents (formerly Aker Barents)drilling facility, which will then proceed to permanently plug well 7222/11-1 (”Caurus”) in former production licence 228 (current production licence 659).

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Offshore Energy Today Staff, March 6, 2012