Norwegian Petroleum Directorate announces oil discovery northeast of the Visund field in the North Sea - 34/6-2 S & 34/6-2 A

Monday, Dec 03, 2012

Total E&P Norge AS, operator of production licence 554, is in the process of completing the drilling of wildcat well 34/6-2 S and appraisal well 34/6-2 A.

The wells were drilled about 30 kilometres northeast of the Visund field in the northern part of the North Sea, and about 185 kilometres northwest of Bergen.

The primary exploration target for well 34/6-2 S was to prove petroleum in Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Cook and Statfjord formations).

The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Upper Triassic reservoir rocks (the Lunde formation). The well encountered a gross oil column of approx. 100 metres in the Cook formation, with good reservoir quality. The oil/water contact was not encountered. Both the Statfjord and Lunde formations were aquiferous.

The objective of well 34/6-2 A was to delineate the oil discovery. The oil/water contact was encountered and confirmed the extent of the discovery. Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery between 4 and 12 million standard cubic metres (Sm³) of recoverable oil. The licensees will evaluate the discovery together with other prospects nearby, and the plan is to drill a new exploration well near the discovery.

Extensive data acquisition and sampling were carried out. A successful formation test was carried out in the Cook formation. The production rate was 800 standard cubic metres (Sm³) of oil per flow day through a 28/64-inch nozzle opening. The test showed good flow properties. The well produced oil with a low gas/oil ratio.

These are the two first exploration wells drilled in production licence 554. The licence was awarded in APA 2009. The 34/6-2 S and 34/6-2 A wells were drilled to vertical depths below sea level of 4050 metres and 3810 metres, respectively. Well 34/6-2 S was terminated in the Lunde formation in the Upper Triassic and well 34/6-2 A was terminated in the Cook formation in the Lower Jurassic. Water depth at the site is 384 metres and the wells will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. The wells were drilled with the Borgland Dolphin drilling facility, which will now drill development wells on the Oseberg field, where Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator.

Source: Norwegian Petroleum Directorate

To access over 3,000 of the latest oil projects from across the world visit Projects OGP for free trial today