By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Jan. 21 -- Norway's Statoil will attempt one of the world's longest penetrations in the Norwegian North Sea later this year.
Starting in October, the company plans to deepen an existing producing well from the Gullfaks A platform to a total measured length of 10,000 m to tap the nearby Gulltopp accumulation. Gulltopp, formerly Dolly, has an estimated 25 million bbl of oil and 17.6 bcf of gas recoverable.
The sidetrack is to be deviated to 83° from vertical to the point where it penetrates the Brent reservoir and then to 90° through the formation.
The well's $43.9 million cost is 25% of the tab to develop Gulltopp via subsea template and dedicated multiphase flowline. Success could help make other small Norwegian oil and gas prospects commercial, Statoil said, including several near Gullfaks.
