Uchenna Izundu
International Editor
LONDON, Oct. 23 -- StatoilHydro has confirmed oil and gas on the Pan-Pandora prospect on production license 120 and 120B in the Norwegian North Sea.
Petroleum was proved in mid-Jurassic rock. The prospect is part of the structure defining the east flank of Visund field, which is south of the Pan-Pandora discovery.
Pan-Pandora lies in 292 m of water. StatoilHydro used the Borgland Dolphin rig to penetrate a 35 m gas column above a 25 m oil column in the Brent group. It reached 3,077 m TVD below sea level and was completed in the lower Jurassic Drake formation.
Extensive data gathering and sampling have been carried out. Sidetrack well 34/8-14 A will now be drilled to the Pandora segment to delineate the find to the north and to improve the evaluation of the resource potential.
"The area south of Visund has a considerable remaining resource potential," said May-Liss Hauknes, vice-president for exploration at StatoilHydro. "The oil and gas discovery in Pan is therefore important for further exploration and development of this area."
This is the 13th exploration well on production license 120, which was awarded in the ninth licensing round in 1985.
StatoilHydro will plug and abandon exploration well 34/8-14 S once it has completed the drilling on the production licenses.
It has a 59.06% stake in both licenses. Its partners are Petoro AS with 16.94%, ConocoPhillips 13%, and Total SA with 11%.
Contact Uchenna Izundu at [email protected].