Lundin Energy Norway AS and partners will progress development studies to potentially submit a plan for development and operation (PDO) by end 2022 after delineating the Lille Prinsen oil and gas discovery and encountering additional minor oil near Edvard Grieg field in the North Sea.
The licensees are considering a subsea development to the Ivar Aasen or Edvard Grieg host platforms after completing wells 16/1-34 S and 16/1-34 A confirming a combined updated gross resource estimate of 12-60 MMboe.
The wells were drilled by the Deepsea Stavanger drilling facility about 15 km north of Edvard Grieg field and 200 km west of Stavanger in water depth of 112 m and have been plugged.
Appraisals
Discovery 16/1-29 S (Lille Prinsen) was proven in 2018 in reservoir rocks from the Eocene (Grid formation), the Palaeocene (Heimdal formation), and Permian (Zechstein group). Resources were also proven in Jurassic-Cretaceous reservoirs through appraisal-delineation drilling of 16/1-30 S and A in 2019, which are included in the resource estimate for the discovery.
The objective of wildcat well 16/1-34 S was to prove commercial volumes of oil in sandstone from the Palaeocene age (Heimdal formation). The secondary exploration target was to prove oil in sandstone from the Early to Middle Jurassic age.
Well 16/1-34 S encountered an oil column of about 7 m in the Heimdal formation, with a 50-m thick sandstone layer with good reservoir quality. The oil-water contact was encountered at 1,820 m below sea level. Liquid samples show good oil quality. No permeable sandstone layers were encountered in the secondary exploration target in the Jurassic.
The objective of appraisal well 16/1-34 A was to confirm the presence, quality, and flow properties in dolomitic rocks from the Permian age in the 16/1-29 S (Lille Prinsen) oil and gas discovery. The secondary exploration target was to investigate the presence and quality of sandstone from the Palaeocene age (Heimdal formation).
Well 16/1-34 A encountered an oil column of about 66 m, of which 46 m in dolomite from the Permian age, with good reservoir quality. About 20 m of the oil column were encountered in basement rock with poor reservoir quality. The oil-water contact was encountered at about 1,932 m below sea level. In the secondary exploration target, 16/1-34 A proved 18 m of water-filled sandstone in the Heimdal formation, with poor reservoir quality.
Well 16/1-34 S was not formation-tested, but systematic data acquisition and sampling have been carried out.
A successful formation test has been conducted in the dolomites in the Zechstein group in well 16/1-34 A. The maximum production rate was 570 standard cu m oil per flow day through a 42/64-in. choke.
Wells 16/1-34 S and 16/1-34 A were drilled to respective measured depths of 2,353 and 2,165 m below sea level, and respective vertical depths of 2,095 and 1,994 m below sea level. Well 16/1-34 S was terminated in the Skagerrak formation from the Late Triassic age and well 16/1-34 A was terminated in basement rock.
Lundin Energy is operator with 40% interest. Partners are Equinor Energy AS 30%, Spirit Energy Norway AS 20%, and AkerBP ASA 10%.
Deepsea Stavanger will proceed to the Merckx exploration prospect in PL981, immediately to the southwest of Solveig field also on the Utsira High. Well 16/4-12 will target Paleocene aged sandstones and Permian aged carbonates, estimated to hold gross unrisked prospective resources of 152 MMboe. Lundin Energy is operator with 60% interest. AkerBP ASA holds the remaining 40%.
