Westwood Global Energy reports that there were six active exploration wells and one active appraisal well at the end of July. Since the last report, five exploration wells have spudded and six E&A wells have completed on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.
North Sea
Lundin spudded its Goddo exploration well 16/5-8 on July 8 with the Leiv Eiriksson rig. The well is targeting fractured basement on the Utsira High. Pre-drill mid-case resources are reported to be 112 mmboe.
Aker BP spudded the Liatarnet exploration well 25/2-20 on June 29. It was re-spudded as 25/2-21 on July 2 and made an oil discovery in the target reservoir with a 92ft oil column and preliminary volumes estimated by the operator between 80-200 mmboe. It was abandoned on July 14.
Aker BP batch spudded the Hornet Main exploration well 15/6-16 S on May 14 and the Freke-Garm Main exploration well 15/6-15 on May 18 with the Deepsea Stavanger rig. As reported in July, the Freke-Garm Main exploration well 15/6-15 was targeting prospectivity at the same levels, with pre-drill resources of 16-81 mmboe, but was abandoned as a dry hole on June 2. After this, the Hornet Main well was abandoned as a dry hole on June 28. Pre-drill resources were estimated in the range 14-137 mmboe.
On May 27 Equinor spudded the 16/1-30 S Lille Prinsen Outer Wedge appraisal well with the West Phoenix rig. The well was sidetracked on July 2 and abandoned on July 19 as a minor oil discovery in the upper-middle Jurassic, the commerciality of which has yet to be confirmed. Volumes are additional to the original discovery and in the range of 1-6 mmboe.
Equinor spudded exploration well 16/5-7 on the Klaff prospect on June 12 with the Transocean Spitsbergen rig at a location adjacent to the southwestern extent of the Johan Sverdrup field, to which it was planned to be tied-back if successful. Aker BP reported pre-drill resources in the range of 50-372 mmboe with objectives in the Jurassic, Triassic and Permian clastics and carbonates. It was abandoned on July 12 due to oil in fractured basement.
Aker BP’s Rumpetroll exploration well 24/9-13 was spudded on June 16 targeting the same Eocene injectite play as its Frosk discovery. Pre-drill resources were 45-148 mmboe and in the success case it is due to be tied-back to the Alvheim FPSO. The initial well was sidetracked on July 17, with operations on this second leg active at the time of writing.
Norwegian Sea
The Norwegian Sea saw three exploration wells spud in July.
Equinor spudded its Orn prospect 6507/2-5 exploration well on July 23 targeting the middle–lower Jurassic with pre-drill resources of 8-40 mmboe, which in the success case will be tied back to the Skarv field. There is secondary potential in the Cretaceous.
The well has an estimated duration of 65 days.
On July 19 Aker BP spudded exploration well 6608/6-1 with the Deepsea Stavanger rig targeting the Vagar prospect with primary objective in Permian carbonates.
It is targeting an unproven play with pre-drill resources of 95 mmboe and has an estimated duration of 27 days in a dry hole scenario. The closest well is 10km to the SSE which tested the Permian but was abandoned as a dry hole.
Cairn spudded its Upper Jurassic Godalen exploration well 6608/11-9 on July 13 with the Transocean Arctic rig, targeting prospective resources of 90 mmboe within tie-back distance of the Norne and Urd fields. The well has an estimated duration of 34 days.
On May 31, OMV spudded appraisal well 6506/11-11 S with the Deepsea Bergen rig targeting the Middle Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous Iris and Hades discovery made in 2018 with well 6506/11-10. Current mid case resources are estimated at 639 bcf gas and 26 mmbbl liquids (133 mmboe). The initial well is expected to have duration of between 75 and 120 days.
Cairn spudded its Lynghaug exploration well 6508/1-3 on June 20 with the Transocean Arctic, targeting pre-drill resources of 70 mmboe. It was to be tied-back to the Norne FPSOif successful. But Cairn said on July 10 the well failed encounter hydrocarbons in the target reservoir and was abandoned dry.
Barents Sea
Equinor spudded the Korpfjell Deep exploration well 7335/3-1 on May 13 with the West Hercules rig. The well was abandoned as a dry hole.
The rig then moved to drill Equinor’s Sputnik exploration well 7324/6-1 which spudded on June 18. At the time of writing operations on this well remained active.
Recommended for you
