Wintershall Dea comes up dry in Norwegian Sea appraisal well

Oil and gas company Wintershall Dea is in the process of concluding the drilling of an appraisal well on the 6604/5-1 (Balderbrå) gas discovery in the northern Norwegian Sea. The well is dry. 

The appraisal well 6604/5-2 S is located in PL 894 where Wintershall Dea is the operator.

The well has been drilled about 113 kilometers southwest of the Aasta Hansteen field in the northern part of the Norwegian Sea.

The 6604/5-1 gas discovery was proven in Upper Cretaceous reservoir rocks (the Springar Formation) in 2018. Prior to drilling the appraisal well, the operator estimated resources at between 7 and 19 billion standard cubic meters (Sm3) of recoverable gas and between 1 and 3 million Sm3 of recoverable condensate.

The objective of the well was to delineate the Balderbrå discovery. The well encountered the Springar Formation in three intervals totaling 210 meters, with a total of about 140 meters of sandstone with poor reservoir quality. Only traces of gas were encountered, and pressure communication with the discovery well has not been confirmed. The well is classified as dry.

Resource estimates for the discovery have been reduced to between 3 and 8 billion Sm3 of recoverable gas and between 0.2 and 1 million Sm3 of recoverable condensate. The licensees will assess the discovery together with other discoveries in the area for further follow-up.

Extensive volumes of data have been collected and samples have been taken.

This is the third exploration well in production license 894, which was awarded in APA 2016.

The well 6604/5-2 S was drilled to a vertical depth of 3816 meters and a measured depth of 4121 meters below sea level, and the well was terminated in the Springar Formation in the Upper Cretaceous.

Water depth at the site is 1207 meters. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned.

The well 6604/5-2 S was drilled by the Scarabeo 8 drilling rig, which will now drill wildcat well 6406/3-10 in production license 836 S in the Norwegian Sea, where Wintershall Dea Norge is also the operator.

The oil company has already received safety consent to use the Saipem-owned Scarabeo 8 rig to drill this well.

Spotted a typo? Have something more to add to the story? Maybe a nice photo? Contact our editorial team via email.

Also, if you’re interested in showcasing your company, product, or technology on Offshore Energy Today, please contact us via our advertising form where you can also see our media kit.