Uchenna Izundu
International Editor
LONDON, May 15 -- StatoilHydro discovered commercial quantities of oil and gas in exploration well 30/9-21 S in the Norwegian North Sea.
Oil and gas were found in the upper parts of the Brent Group of production license PL104, 7 km west of the Oseberg Sør platform. The well was drilled using the floating rig Transocean Winner and was concluded in Middle Jurassic rocks.
StatoilHydro said the discovery held an estimated 16 million recoverable bbl of oil equivalent and could be tied to the nearby Delta template within a few years. Continued exploration success in the area may trigger new development solutions, it added.
StatoilHydro also found oil in the Theta structure via its long-reach exploration well from the Oseberg C platform, targeting the Cook formation. It has designed the well to be turned into a producer within 45 days after the discovery.
Prospect mapping and well planning was a collaborative effort between the Oseberg Petech team and the North Sea exploration team, with the former unit being responsible for the drilling operation.
"Work is currently underway to determine the optimal production solution," said Bjorn Inge Braathen, leader of the exploration team working in the Oseberg area. Depending on the development solution, preliminary expected volumes are around 5 million bbl of oil.
Contact Uchenna Izundu at [email protected].
