Gas discovery in the Norwegian Sea

Published 2008-05-21, 08:52 CET

StatoilHydro has struck gas during exploration drilling in the Norwegian Sea north-west of Kristiansund and will drill a sidetrack well to further identify the area.

StatoilHydro, the operator of production licence 348, now completes the drilling of exploration well 6407/8-4 S. The well is located 30 kilometres north-east of the Njord field and 9 kilometres north-west of the Draugen field.

"The purpose of the well was to confirm the existence of hydrocarbons in mid/lower Jurassic rocks in the southern segment of the Galtvort prospect. It is very positive that we again strike hydrocarbons in these areas where finds can quickly be put on stream,” says StatoilHydro’s vice president for infrastructure-led exploration in the North, Ørjan Birkeland.

The well has confirmed the existence of gas in Jurassic sandstone. The size of the discovery is so far not determined, and a sidetrack well will be drilled right after the current well has been completed. .

This is the first exploration well in production licence 348, which was awarded in TFO 2004 (awards in pre-defined areas). No formation leak-off test has been conducted in the well, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been performed in the reservoir.

The exploration well was drilled to a vertical depth of 2632.3 metres below the sea surface and completed in rocks belonging to the lower Jurassic Åre formation. The well, located in 266 metres of water, will now be permanently plugged and abandoned.

The well was drilled by the West Alpha drilling rig, which will now drill sidetrack well 6407/8-4 A on the Galtvort prospect.

The licensees in production licence 348 are: StatoilHydro (30.0 percent), Gaz de France Norge (20.0), Norwegian Energy Company (17.5), E.ON Ruhrgas Norge (17.5), Endeavour Energy Norge (7.5) and Petoro (7.5).

StatoilHydro