Statoil ASA reported a natural gas discovery in the North Sea estimated to contain 20-50 million boe and is calling it Valemon West.
The West Elara jack up drilled the 34/11-6 S to a vertical depth of 4,337 m below the sea surface in 133.5 m of water in PL 193 D near the Valemon field.
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate said the wildcat was terminated in the Drake formation in the Lower to Middle Jurassic.
The well encountered gas columns of about 80 m in the Tarbert formation and 35 m in the Ness formation. NPD said there were 50 m of sandstone with moderate-to-good reservoir quality in the Tarbert and 10 m of sandstone with poor reservoir quality in the Ness. NPD cited preliminary estimates of 3-8 million cu m of oil equivalents recoverable.
Statoil called the Valemon reservoir “complex because it is fragmented and also because of its high pressure and high temperature.”
Valemon Unit partners are Statoil Petroleum AS with 53.775%; Petoro AS, 30%; Centrica Resources (Norge) AS, 13%; and A/S Norske Shell, 3.225%.
Production from the Valemon field began 2 years ago (OGJ Online, Jan. 5, 2015). Statoil said it contains about 192 million boe.
