Aker BP strikes gas northwest of Hammerfest, in the Barents Sea

STAVANGER -- Aker BP ASA, operator of Production Licence 659, has concluded the drilling of wildcat well 7221/12-1.

The well was drilled about 20 km west of the 7222/11-2 discovery well (Langlitinden) in the Barents Sea, and about 175 km northwest of Hammerfest.

The objective of the well was to prove petroleum in Upper Triassic reservoir rocks (in the upper part of the Snadd formation).

Well 7221/12-1 encountered a total gas column of about 20 m in the upper part of the Snadd formation, of which a total of 7 m of sandstone layers with good to moderate reservoir quality. The gas-water contact was encountered about 555 m below the sea surface. Preliminary results from gas samples indicate that the gas may be in the gas-hydrate phase. Attempts will be made to clarify this through further analysis. If there is free gas in the reservoir, the preliminary estimate is that the size of the discovery is between 2-3.5 Bscm of recoverable gas.

The discovery is not considered to be commercial at this time. The licensees will assess the results from the well in the further evaluation of the area.

The well was not formation-tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out.

This is the second exploration well in PL 659, which was awarded in APA2011.

Well 7221/12-1 was drilled to a vertical depth of 700 m below the sea surface, and was terminated in the Snadd formation in the Upper Triassic. Water depth at the site is 346 m. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned.

Well 7221/12-1 was drilled by Deepsea Stavanger, which will now drill appraisal well 25/4-12 S in PL 203 in the North Sea, where Aker BP ASA is the operator.