Statoil hits gas in Barents Sea

Norwegian energy company and LNG player Statoil, with its partners Eni and Petoro, made a small gas discovery in the Blåmann well, between the Snøhvit and Goliat fields in the Barents Sea.

Recoverable volumes are estimated at 2-3 billion standard cubic meters (bcm), approximately 10-20 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe), the company said on Monday.

The well was drilled in license PL 849, awarded in 2016 in Norway’s  Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) licensing round. Gas was found in a 23-metre column in the Stø formation, while no oil volumes were encountered.

“We were exploring for oil and this is not the result we were hoping for,” says Jez Averty, senior vice president for exploration in Norway and the UK.

“However, this gas discovery has the potential to contribute additional resources to the Snøhvit project,” he notes.

The discovery is located in the Hammerfest basin, approximately 21 kilometers southeast of the Snøhvit field.

The well was drilled by the Songa Enabler semisubmersible drilling rig, which will now move on to the Hoop area to drill the Gemini North prospect in licence PL855, northeast of the Wisting discovery.