Aker BP ASA has plugged an exploration well and an appraisal at what the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate described as “a small gas discovery” 6 km southwest of Boyla oil field in the northern North Sea offshore Norway.
The directorate said the objective of the 24/9-13 wildcat was to prove petroleum in Eocene strata, while the 24/9-13A was to assess oil-water contacts.
The wildcat encountered a 3 m gas column in the Hordaland Group with 2 m of mainly good quality sandstone reservoir. It also cut several sandstone layers with mainly good quality totaling 17 m in the Balder formation.
The sandstones are thought to be remobilized sand from the Paleocene Heimdal and Hermod formations injected into overlying strata in the Eocene-Paleocene Rogaland and Hordaland group.
The appraisal well encountered a gas column of about 40 m in injectite zones. A total of 7 m of sandstone had good to very good reservoir quality, interpreted as injected sands of the Hordaland group.
The wells did not encounter petroleum-water contacts. They proved a gas column of at least 77 m, NPD said.
The wells, in 118 m of water, were not formation-tested. NPD said Aker BP is studying results for possible further delineation.
The Deepsea Nordkapp semisubmersible drilled the 24/9-13 to 2,272 vertical depth below sea surface and the 24/9-13 A to 2,240 m vertical depth and 3,433 m measured depth.
Aker BP is operator with a 60% interest in the license. Lundin Norway AS and Point Resources AS hold 20% interests each.