STATOIL GAUGES OIL STRIKE IN NORWEGIAN SEA

Den norkse stats oljeselskap AS has tested one of the most important oil discoveries off Norway in recent years. The best of three tests of Statoil's 6608/10-2 wildcat in the Nordland II area of the Norwegian Sea yielded 7,330 b/d of oil and 25.5 MMcfd of gas from Jurassic sands. The well, drilled to a 11,988 ft, found oil at 8,560-8,893 ft. There is a 65 ft gas zone on top of the oil pay. The best test came from pay immediately above the oil-water contact, but there are indications one

Jan. 20, 1992

3 min read

Den norkse stats oljeselskap AS has tested one of the most important oil discoveries off Norway in recent years.

The best of three tests of Statoil's 6608/10-2 wildcat in the Nordland II area of the Norwegian Sea yielded 7,330 b/d of oil and 25.5 MMcfd of gas from Jurassic sands.

The well, drilled to a 11,988 ft, found oil at 8,560-8,893 ft. There is a 65 ft gas zone on top of the oil pay. The best test came from pay immediately above the oil-water contact, but there are indications one of the other zones could be more productive.

Statoil called the strike, the first of any significance in the Nordland II area, very promising. It lies about 53 miles north-northeast of Conoco Norway's Heidrun oil field, which is in the northern part of the Haltenbanken area.

Statoil earlier tested a small gas condensate discovery in Block 6507/3, about 10 miles south of the new discovery.

Norsk Hydro also is drilling in the Nordland II area on Block 6507/2, where its second well has found gas. The well, drilling ahead to the Jurassic on its way to a projected 13,120 ft, is unlikely to test the Jurassic but may run a test on the gas zone.

Starting in July, Statoil will run a three month 3-D seismic survey in the area around its two discoveries, as well as on another structure that has been identified in the area.

The survey, to cost 60-100 million kroner ($9.8-16.4 million), will cover 25,000 line km, making one of the most extensive surveys conducted off Norway.

Statoil said it will not carry out appraisal or exploration drilling in the area until the 3-D survey has been completed and interpreted.

No official estimates of reserves have been given on the basis of the first well, but industry sources said the reservoir could be as large as AS Norske Shell's Draugen field on Haltenbanken, which holds 428 million bbl of reserves with a relatively small volume of gas.

One of the attractions for Statoil is the low gas volume, which would enable production to begin without a dedicated outlet for the gas.

The 6608/10-2 discovery is certain to increase industry interest in areas north of Haltenbanken.

Companies have just completed submissions to the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy on blocks that are to be included in the next offshore licensing round.