Vår Energi confirms oil in appraisal well north of Barents Sea Zagato discovery

Vår Energi has delineated its Barents Sea Zagato oil discovery and estimates of recoverable oil have increased following drilling of appraisal well 7122/8-4 S, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD) said in a release Nov. 13.

The appraisal well, drilled 90 km from Hammerfest in license 229, confirmed the discovery proven by well 7122/8-3 S in February.

The well was drilled by the COSL Prospector rig just north of Goliat field to respective measured/vertical depths of 2,986/2,793 m subsea. It was terminated in the Klappmyss formation in the Lower Triassic. Water depth at the site is 406 m.

The discovery is estimated to hold 2.8– 10.1 million standard cu m of recoverable oil equivalent, or 18–64 million bbl, NOD said Nov. 13. With news of the Zagato discovery earlier this year, NOD said preliminary size estimates of the discovery were 2.4–6.8 million standard cu m of recoverable oil equivalent, corresponding to 15–43 million bbl.

Geological information

Well 7122/8-4 S encountered an 11-m oil column in the Tubåen formation in the Realgrunnen Subgroup in reservoir rocks totaling 8.5 m with good reservoir quality. The oil-water contact was encountered 1,523 m subsea.

The objective was to delineate the Zagato discovery in Lower Jurassic-Upper Triassic and in Middle Triassic reservoir rocks in the Realgrunnen Subgroup and the Kobbe formation, respectively.

Additional reservoir rocks were encountered in the Kobbe formation totaling 48 m with moderate reservoir quality, but the reservoirs were aquiferous.

An 80-m oil column was also proven in the Klappmyss formation in sandstone layers totaling 1 m with poor reservoir quality. The oil-water contact was not encountered.

The well has been plugged and the operator and license partners are considering a tieback of the discovery to existing infrastructure on Goliat field.