Statoil ASA made a gas discovery in the Gymir prospect 20 km west of Aasta Hansteen field in the northern Norwegian Sea.
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate said wildcat 6706/11-2 in PL602 encountered a total gas column of 70 m in the Nise formation, with 40 m in sandstone of very good reservoir quality.
The well was not formation tested, but Statoil conducted extensive data acquisition and sampling. The well was drilled in 13 days to a vertical depth of 2,556 m subsea in 1,272 m of water. The Transocean Ltd.’s Transocean Spitsbergen semisubmersible rig has completed its contract with Statoil and will be laid up at Averoy, NPD said.
It’s the third gas discovery in the area in as many months, Statoil said. Gymir is 8 km west of Roald Rygg in PL602 (OGJ Online, Apr. 13, 2015) and 14 km west of Snefrid Nord in PL218 (OGJ Online, Mar. 18, 2015).
Statoil and partners will assess the discoveries with regard to development and tie-in to Aasta Hansteen.
Aasta Hansteen production startup is expected in 2017 (OGJ Online, Aug. 26, 2014).
