Statoil ASA reported a small natural gas discovery in the Barents Sea, about 30 km northeast of the 2013 Wisting oil discovery (OGJ Online, Sept. 6, 2013).
The Gemini North 7325/4-1 well was drilled in production license 855 by Songa Offshore AS’s Songa Enabler semisubmersible drilling rig in 447 m of water.
It’s the third discovery in Statoil’s 2017 Barents Sea exploration campaign following announcements in July of the Kayak oil discovery and the Blamann gas discovery (OGJ Online, July 5, 2017; July 17, 2017).
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate said the well encountered a 19-m gas column in Sto formation sandstone with good reservoir quality and a 5-m oil column in Snadd formation sandstone with poor reservoir quality.
It was drilled to a vertical depth of 1,178 m subsea and terminated in the Snadd. The well was not formation tested.
“The well was drilled with the ambition of proving up additional oil resources in the vicinity of the Wisting discovery, but like the previous Blamann well, we discovered gas,” said Jez Averty, Statoil senior vice-president. “While this well proved a noncommercial gas discovery, the results provide grounds for cautious optimism for additional potential both within this license and the Hoop area.”
Operator Statoil has 55%, OMV 25%, and Petoro 20%.
It was the first exploration well in PL 855, which was awarded in the 23rd licensing round in 2016.
