Statoil in oil discovery southwest of North Sea’s Oseberg South field

STAVANGER, Norway -- Statoil Petroleum, operator of production license 035/272, is in the process of completing the drilling of wildcat wells 30/11-11 S and 30/11-11 A.

The wells were drilled about 2 km southeast of the 30/11-9 A discovery (Askja East) and 35 km southwest of the Oseberg South facility in the North Sea.

The primary exploration target for wells 30/11-11 S and 30/11-11 A was to prove petroleum in Upper to Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (Tarbert formation) in two nearby fault blocks. The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (Ness formation).

30/11-11 S encountered a 25-m oil column in the upper part of the Tarbert formation, of which 22 m had moderate to good reservoir properties. 30/11-11 A encountered a corresponding reservoir in the Tarbert formation, but it is aquiferous with traces of hydrocarbons. The well is classified as dry.

Both wells proved sandstones with moderate to good porosity in the Ness formation, but these were aquiferous.

Preliminary estimation of the size of the discovery in well 30/11-11 S is between 0.2 and 0.5 million standard cubic metres of recoverable oil.

Data acquisition and sampling have been carried out in both wells.

The 30/11-11 S and 30/11-11 A wells were drilled to respective vertical depths of 3,646 m and 3,334 m below the sea surface and measured depths of 3,646 m and 3,987 m below the sea surface. 30/11-11 S was terminated in the Ness formation, and 30/11-11 A was terminated in the Tarbert formation. The wells will be permanently plugged and abandoned.

Wells 30/11-11 S and 30/11-11 A were drilled by the Songa Delta drilling facility. The results from the wells will not affect future drilling of the exploration campaign in the area. The campaign will continue with the same drilling facility in the same production license, with wildcat well 30/11-12 S and potentially 30/11-12 A if the structure warrants an appraisal well.