Statoil Petroleum AS, operator of production licence 146, is in the process of completing the drilling of wildcat well 2/4-22 S in the Norwegian part of the North Sea.

The well was drilled about 20 kilometres north of the Ekofisk field and 2.3 kilometres northeast of the 2/4-21 discovery in the southern part of the North Sea.

The primary exploration target for well 2/4-22 S was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks in the Permian (the Auk formation in the Rotliegend group). The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks in the Middle Jurassic (the Bryne formation).

In its primary exploration target, the well encountered a 27-metre total oil column in the Auk formation, 24 metres of which was sandstone of good reservoir quality. In its secondary exploration target, the well encountered oil columns in two intervals in the Bryne formation, where the top interval also extends into the overlying Ula formation in the Upper Jurassic.

No oil/water contact was encountered in either of the intervals in the Jurassic. The Bryne formation has a 46-metre total oil column, about 30 metres of which is sandstone of good to poor reservoir quality. The Bryne and Ula formations have a 49-metre total oil column, about 15 metres of which are from multiple thin sandstone layers with good to poor reservoir quality.

Data acquisition and sampling have been carried out.

Preliminary estimates of the size of the discovery range between 0.7 and 2 million Sm3 of recoverable oil equivalents. Further studies are needed in order to determine whether the discovery can be included as part of a future development of the area.

This is the ninth exploration well in production licence 146. The license was awarded in the 12th licensing round in 1988.

Well 2/4-22 S was drilled to a vertical depth of 4834 metres below sea level and was terminated in the Auk formation. Water depth at the site is 67 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned.

Well 2/4-22 S was drilled by the Maersk Gallant jack-up rig, which will now move on to drill exploration well 2/4-23 in the same production licence.

Source: www.offshoreenergytoday.com

Please leave comments and feedback below