Equinor has reported a second minor discovery during wildcat drilling on the Johan Castberg field, this time at the Skavl Stø well.
Located in production licence 532, wildcat well 7220/8-3 was spudded by Equinor on 16 April but was temporarily suspended while the nearby Snøfonn Nord well (7220/8-2 S) was drilled.
The Transocean Enabler was used for the operation in the Barents Sea, around 130 miles north west of Hammerfest, in around 350m of water.
The well aimed to prove petroleum in early Jurassic reservoir rocks within the Stø formation, and encountered a gas and oil column of 3m and 43m respectively, in 77m thick sandstone in the upper part of the Stø Formation, according to a report from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD).
The reservoir quality was rated as “very good”, with gas/oil contact at 907 metres below sea level, and the oil/water contact at 950 metres below sea level.
Preliminary estimates put the size of the discovery at between 0.8 and 1.6 million cubic metres of recoverable oil equivalent, confirmed by Equinor to total between 5-10 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe).
The well was not formation-tested, but extensive data collection and sampling have been carried out.
“The drilling operation was safely and efficiently performed. The new discovery and information will be viewed in the light of other discoveries in the area, and together with our partners we will consider further development of the area,” said Kristin Westvik, Equinor’s senior vice president for exploration and production.
The licensees – including Equinor (50%), Vår Energi (30%) and Petoro (20%) – will assess the discovery with a view towards potential tie-in to the Johan Castberg field, NPD added.
Equinor said Skavl Stø would be further matured together with Snøfonn North and the previous discoveries Skavl (2014) and Isflak (2021).
It follows close on the heels of the 7220/8-2 S Snøfonn Nord well, which completed on 22 May, also using the Transocean Enabler semi-sub.
It was plugged and abandoned as an oil discovery with quoted resources of 37 – 50 million boe.
The Transocean Enabler will now move to drill development wells the Goliat field in PL 229 in the Barents Sea, where Vår Energi is the operator.
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