By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, June 9 -- Statoil ASA, operator of Production License 050, reported two oil discoveries in the Tampen area of the North Sea.
Exploration well 34/10-49 and a sidetrack probed five targets—Epidot, Alun, Spinell, Sølvkåpe, and Apollo—in Cretaceous and Jurassic sandstones.
The deepest borehole, 34/10-49 S and B, bottomed in Early Cretaceous rocks 5,480 m beneath the seabed.
The 34/10-49 A sidetrack extended for 3,312 m and made the discoveries in Middle Jurassic Epidot and Alun sands.
Lars Christian Bacher, senior vice-president for the Tampen cluster, estimated combined reserves at 15 million bbl of oil equivalent.
Statoil said the discoveries could be tied back to Gullfaks field 5 km to the northeast.
The 34/10-49 well will be plugged. Diamond Offshore's Ocean Vanguard semisubmersible, which drilled the well, will move to the Norwegian Sea to drill Statoil's Valkyrie prospect.
Statoil has a 61% interest in PL 050. Petoro AS has 30%, and Norsk Hydro Produksjun AS has 9%.