Offshore staff
STAVANGER, Norway -- Statoil has found commercial gas and condensate in the central Norwegian North Sea, 2 km (1.2 mi) west of the Gullfaks South field.
The company estimates recoverable reserves at 19-75 MMboe, which it expects to tieback to existing infrastructure in the Gullfaks South area.
Well 34/10-53 S was drilled by the Deepsea Atlantic in the Rimfaks valley, confirming a 300-m (984-ft) column in good-quality reservoir rocks. Gas was encountered in the Brent group formation, but the gas/water contact was not established.
The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 3,847 m (12,621 ft) below sea level, and terminated in Lower Jurassic rocks of the Statfjord group. Water depth is 136 m (446 ft).
“We regard the area around Gullfaks South to be prospective and the find confirms our faith in the area,” said Gro Gunleiksrud Haatvedt, Statoil’s senior VP for exploration on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). “Even if the volumes are modest compared to the large discoveries previously made on the NCS,” she added, “discoveries of this type are important in order to maximize the potential on the NCS. They help extend the lifetime of the installations.”
The well was not formation tested, but further data acquisition and sampling are in progress to determine the hydrocarbon system and to estimate contacts.
After permanently plugging the well, Deepsea Atlantic will drill a side track to the Mid-Jurassic (Brent group) Opal prospect, located west of the Rimfaks valley in production license 050B.
02/09/2011
