More oil and gas goodness emerges from the bosom of the North Sea as Equinor, the big player in the Norwegian energy arena, dances the discovery jig once again. This time, their spotlight falls on a fresh oil and gas find snugly nestled near the Fram field in the deep waters of the North Sea off Norway. And guess what? They pulled off this feat with the help of a rig owned by the maritime maestros at Odfjell Drilling.
Breaking it down for you: Equinor dabbled in some intense well drilling action, the designated numbered guests being 35/11-26 S and its buddy 35/11-26 A. The drama unfolded at the Crino/Mulder prospect, which is sipping away its existence in production licence 090. It’s a group effort, really. Equinor takes on the role of the conductor here, waving its operator wand with a hearty 45% ownership interest in the venture. The supporting cast includes Vår Energi, Inpex Idemitsu Norge, and Neptune Energy Norge, clutching their stakes at 25%, 15%, and 15%, respectively. It’s like the energy version of a high-stakes poker game, but with drills.
Flashback alert! This venture makes it the 21st and 22nd exploration wells to don the badge of this particular licence. This prized licence has its roots planted deep in the soil of the 8th licensing round, an event etched into the annals of 1984.
Plot twist! In June of 2023, the bigwigs of Equinor got the royal nod to embark on this exploration quest. Cue the grand entrance of Odfjell Drilling’s Deepsea Stavanger rig, the trusty steed that carried the drilling weight. Imagine the suspense as the drilling happened 4 kilometers away from the Fram field and around 130 kilometers northwest of the charming city of Bergen. Picture the waves and the anticipation.
A juicy tidbit unveiled itself on August 18th, 2023, courtesy of the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD). It was revealed that the exploration target of the wildcat well 35/11-26 S was all about unveiling the secrets hidden in the sandstone layers of the Heather Formation from the Late Jurassic era, and the Brent Group from the Middle Jurassic times. They even dared to pry into the reservoir properties of the Cook Formation from the Early Jurassic era. Talk about digging up ancient mysteries! But that’s not all, they had a secondary target in their sights – to scoop up reservoir data from the Lista Formation hailing from the Palaeocene era.
Brace yourselves for the findings. One well, 35/11-26 S, stumbled upon a generous 7-meter gas column and a rather stout 26-meter oil column chilling within the Heather Formation. And yes, they were nestled in cozy sandstone layers, a towering 33 meters of them, sporting quite the moderate-to-good reservoir quality. Oh, and they almost met their oily friend, the oil/water contact, but it was a near miss. Meanwhile, the Brent Group and the Cook Formation decided to stay water-logged, maintaining a moderate-to-good reservoir quality. As for the Lista Formation, it was a no-show.
As for the companion well, 35/11-26 A, it embarked on its own journey through moderate-to-good reservoir quality sandstones within the Heather Formation. The catch – the reservoir was feeling a tad aquiferous. But, hold onto your excitement, folks, because the surprises continued. Both wells found a treasure trove of oil and gas within shallower intra-Heather sandstones. The plot thickens!
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, being the bringer of teasers, tantalized us with preliminary estimations. Brace yourselves, because they pegged this newfound bounty to be somewhere between 1.5 and 5.5 million Sm3 of recoverable oil equivalent. That’s a lot of energy-packed goodness waiting to be tapped into. The licensees, being the responsible lot they are, are now putting on their thinking hats to figure out how to maximize this discovery’s potential in relation to the existing infrastructure in the Fram neighborhood, all while considering the other discoveries in the vicinity.
Now, just so you know, these wells didn’t undergo a formal formation-testing ritual. But hey, it’s all good. They’ve got data acquisition and sampling down to a science. In fact, well 35/11-26 S extended itself to a solid vertical depth of 3,409 meters, measuring an impressive 3,770 meters below sea level. It waved its flag of completion in the Amundsen Formation, which takes us back to the Early Jurassic era. Well 35/11-26 A, on the other hand, had its own journey down the rabbit hole, stopping at a vertical depth of 3,000 meters, measuring a cool 3,421 meters below sea level. And its grand finale happened in the Heather Formation, a creation of the Late Jurassic era. Just so you know, these wells have done their part and retired for good, plugged and abandoned, leaving the stage for future adventures.
Oh, but the saga isn’t over. The Deepsea Stavanger rig is now geared up to tackle a wildcat well, 30/11-15, flaunting its prowess in production licence 035 in the vast expanse of the North Sea. And who’s the conductor of this expedition, you ask? None other than Equinor, taking charge once again.
Ah, but let’s not forget about the cherry on top – the sweet taste of viability. Neptune Energy, our spectator in this riveting tale, chimed in to confirm the preliminary estimates of this discovery’s size, putting it at a delicious range of 9 to 35 million barrels of oil equivalent (mboe). And wait for it – they’re all gung-ho about the commercial prospects, with their eyes on the prize of tying it into the existing infrastructure. That’s some serious vision, isn’t it?
As the curtain falls, Odin Estensen, the Master of Ceremonies at Neptune Energy, steps up to the mic. With a flourish, he applauds Equinor for their seamless drilling spectacle, underlining the potential that lies within the productive realm of the Fram area. But what’s got him really jazzed is the location’s proximity to existing infrastructure, a juicy chance for a low-emission, cost-effective journey ahead.
As for Equinor, they’re not newcomers to this arena. They’ve previously scooped up eight such discoveries in the same playing field. The illustrious roster boasts names like Echino South, Swisher, Røver North, Blasto, Toppand, Kveikje, Røver South, and Heisenberg. Impressive, right?
Closing the narrative with a bow, Geir Sørtveit, Equinor’s explorer-in-chief for the western dominion of Exploration & Production, chimes in. He’s stoked, pointing out the silver lining in this tale of discovery. The best part? These findings dance into the limelight in a zone well-equipped with oil and gas infrastructure. Low costs and minimal CO2 emissions? Now that’s a tune we all want to hum along to. And so, the saga of energy discovery continues, leaving us with yet another page-turner from the deep and mysterious
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