Total in minor gas discovery in Skirne East (Norway)

Total E&P Norge AS, operator of production licence 627, is about to complete the drilling of wildcat well 25/6-5 S, in the Norwegian North Sea. 

The well is a gas discovery, which encountered a net 10 metre gas column in the high quality Middle Jurassic Hugin formation.

The Skirne East exploration well 25/6-5 S spudded on March 13, 2015 and was drilled to a total depth of 2,366 metres below sea level.

The well was drilled about 7 kilometres east of the Skirne field in the central part of the North Sea, and about 170 kilometres northwest of Stavanger.

The objective of well 25/6-5 S was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (Hugin formation). The well encountered a 10-metre gas column in the Hugin formation with good to very good reservoir quality. The well was not formation tested, but data acquisition was carried out.

According to NPD, preliminary calculations of the size of the discovery are between 0.4 and 1.5 million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalents (o.e.). The licensees will evaluate the discovery with regard to development.

This is the first exploration well in production licence 627, which was awarded in APA 2011. The well was drilled to a measured and vertical depth of 2520 and 2366 metres beneath the sea surface, respectively, and was terminated in the Dunlin formation in the Lower Jurassic. Water depth is 120 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned.

Well 25/6-5 S was drilled by the Leiv Eiriksson semi-submersible drilling rig which will now proceed to the Barents Sea to drill wildcat well 7324/8-2 in production licence 537, where OMV (Norge) AS is the operator.

Total E&P Norge is the operator in PL627 with 40 percent working interest. Det norske holds a 20 percent working interest and Faroe Petroleum Norge AS and Centrica Resources (Norge) AS each hold 20 percent as partner.

Graham Stewart, Chief Executive of Faroe Petroleum, commented:

“We are pleased to announce the result of the Skirne East well which, although smaller than predicted, is a promising discovery particularly in light of the nearby Atla field which was recently developed with reserves within the resource range of the Skirne East discovery.

“During the coming months we expect to start drilling the first of two follow-up wells at the significant Pil discovery (Faroe 25%) on the Blink and Boomerang prospects, and also the Bister prospect to follow up on our recent significant Snilehorn discovery located close to the producing Njord field infrastructure.

“Our Norwegian position is now one of the most significant of any UK independent E&P company and with our robust balance sheet, despite challenging market conditions, the Company is set for another exciting year in 2015.”

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