Equinor to further evaluate Norwegian Sea discovery

Norway’s Equinor and partners Ineos E&P and Faroe Petroleum will evaluate how to further develop an oil and gas discovery made in exploration well 6507/3-13 (Snadd Outer Outer/Black Vulture), 14 km southwest of Norne field in the northern part of the Norwegian Sea and 200 km west of Sandnessjoen in production license 159B.

The primary exploration target for the well was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks from the Late Cretaceous Age (the Lysing formation). The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks from the Early Cretaceous Age (the Lange formation).

The exploration well—the fourth in the license—was drilled using Transocean’s Spitsbergen harsh-environment ultradeepwater dual-activity semisubmersible drilling rig to a vertical depth of 3,380 m subsea. It was terminated in the Lyr formation from the Early Cretaceous Age. Water depth at the site is 368 m. The well encountered the Lysing formation of 25 m, with a gas column of 5 m and with variation from poor to good reservoir quality. In the Lange formation, oil and gas were encountered in sandstone layers of 25 m, of which 14 m net sandstone with moderate reservoir properties.

Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery in the Lysing formation at 0.3-2 million standard cu m of recoverable oil equivalent and 0.1-8 million standard cu m of recoverable oil equivalent in the Lange formation.

Drilling of appraisal well 6507/3-13 A to delineate the discovery in the Lange formation was interrupted due to technical problems. Nick Ashton, Equinor’s senior vice-president for exploration in Norway and the UK, said the partners are evaluating a time and place for further delineation for more accurate volume estimates.

While not formation-tested, extensive volumes of data have been collected and samples have been taken. The well will be plugged.

The partners will consider tying the discovery to the Norne ship. “Snadd Outer Outer/Black Vulture is located close to the Norne field with all its infrastructure, and this option is in line with Equinor’s strategy of using existing solutions,” Ashton said.

The drilling rig will now drill wildcat well 16/5-7 (Klaff) in PL 502 in the North Sea, where Equinor Energy AS is operator.