Equinor’s appraisal volume on the Cape Vulture discovery has confirmed the presence of 50-70 million recoverable barrels of oil.
The find more than doubles the remaining oil reserves to be produced through the Norne field.
Originally planned to be shut down in 2014, the productive life of Norne has already been extended to 2036.
Nick Ashton, Equinor’s senior vice president, Exploration, Norway & UK, said: “We are very pleased to have proven and appraised a new substantial oil discovery off the coast of Nordland. The appraisal well confirms a new play on the Nordland Ridge in the Norwegian Sea.
“The discovery demonstrates the importance of our new exploration strategy. We intend to take new approaches and try out new and untested ideas to unlock the remaining commercial resources on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). This is in line with Equinor’s recently updated roadmap for the NCS, which aims to secure activity for many decades to come.”
The partnership in the Norne licence will progress the discovery towards a development decision.
The exploration drilling in the Cape Vulture well (6608/10-17S) started in early December 2016.
The drilling of the appraisal well, including side-tracks (6608/10-18, 6608/10-18B and 6608/10-18C), started in mid-July 2017.
The wells were drilled in production license 128, a result of production license 128D awarded in the APA round (award in predefined areas) in 2015.
The Cape Vulture Appraisal well was drilled by the Songa Encourage rig.
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