North Sea Balder partners consider tiebacks for two discoveries
Offshore staff
SANDNES, Norway – Vår Energi has proven commercial oil and gas close to the company’s Balder area in the central Norwegian North Sea.
The King and Prince exploration wells and a follow-up appraisal well, 6 km (3.7-mi) north of Balder, delivered estimated volumes in the range 60-135 MMboe recoverable.
“Clearly, our near-field exploration strategy is paying off and is certainly an approach we will continue to pursue,” says Vår Energi ceo Torger Rød.
The semsiub Scarabeo 8 drilled all three wells in 128 m (420 ft) of water, with 25/8-20 S encountering a 30-m (98.4-ft) oil column in the Skagerrak formation, with no confirmed oil/water contact.
Well 25/8-20 B intersected a 30-m gas column and a 55-m (180-ft) oil column in Eocene injectite sands, with the oil/water contact 1,780 m (5,840 ft) below sea level. It also proved oil in sandstone intervals in the upper Skagerrak formation.
Finally, well 25/8-20 C delivered a 40-m (131-ft) gas column and a 55-m oil column, again in Eocene injectite sands, with gas/oil and oil/water contacts at the same depth as in 25/8-20 B
Scarabeo 8 has P&A’d the wells and will now head to the shipyard in Ølen before drilling development well 7122/7-D-2 H in license 229 in the Barents Sea for Vår.
The operator has now participated in five discoveries this year on the Norwegian shelf. VP exploration Denis Palermo said: “We have years of experience and huge amounts of data from the Balder area.
“Thanks to a systematic exploration strategy, our deep understanding of the area, thorough geological processes, and new technology we are able to unlock the true Balder potential.
Work has already started on scenarios for a King/Prince development, with the company and partner Mime Petroleum assessing potential for a tie-in to the existing infrastructure in the Balder area.
6/21/2021
