Offshore staff
OSLO, Norway -- Total EP Norge has completed a wildcat well in the Barents Sea, confirming a gas discovery in the Norvarg structure.
Well 7225/3-1 was drilled by the West Phoenix in 376 m (1,233 ft) water depth in production license 535, 250 km (155 mi) north of the Melkøya LNG plant.
According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, its main target was to prove petroleum in Triassic reservoir rocks (Snadd and Kobbe formations). A secondary target was the Middle Jurassic (Stø formation), Triassic (Havert formation), and Permian (Bjarmeland formation). Gas was proven in Jurassic and Triassic intervals, and also encountered in the Stø and Snadd formations.
NPD estimates reserves in the range 10-50 bcm (63-315 MMboe) recoverable.
A formation test in the upper part of the Kobbe formation flowed 180,000 cu m/d (6.36 MMcf/d) of good-quality gas through a 44/64-in. nozzle, with small amounts of CO2, H2S, and nitrogen.
The well will be permanently P&A’d.West Phoenix will next head south to drill for Statoil Petroleum on the Troll field in the North Sea.
Trygve Pedersen, CEO of partner Rocksource, said: “This is a positive event for Rocksource and potentially for the future of the Barents Sea region. Prior to drilling, we used our proprietary electromagnetic (EM) technology to de-risk the chance of finding hydrocarbons here.
“Norvarg was a challenging case with hydrocarbons at multiple levels which were successfully predicted. The positive production test in the Kobbe formation improves the chance that these volumes will be developed and produced in the future.”
The other partners in PL 535, which was awarded in 2009 under Norway’s 20th licensing round, are Det norske oljeselskap and North Energy (20%) and Rocksource (20%).
08/08/2011
