Westwood Global Energy reports that there were five exploration wells and one appraisal well active as of 29 September, two of which are suspended.
Key exploration wells drilling in September include the Dugong Tail, Rødhette, Dovregubben and Merckx wells. A total of five appraisal wells and 20 exploration wells have completed and to date in 2021, from which eight commercial discoveries have been made giving a 40% commercial success rate to date.
North Sea
Lundin spudded the 17/8-1 Dovregubben frontier well on 16 September but was suspended shortly after as the Deepsea Stavanger rig mobilised to drill the 16/4-12 Merckx well which spud on the 19 September. The Dovregubben well has a range of targets from Jurassic to Carboniferous. The Merckx well is targeting the Paleocene and Permian Zechstein.
Neptune spudded the 33/6-5 S Dugong Tail well on 26 August, targeting Upper Jurassic Intra-Draupne Formation and Middle Jurassic Brent Group Rannoch Formation sandstones in a downthrown fault block terrace trap. The top hole for Dugong Tail was drilled with the well suspended c. 1 September, then the rig moved to carry out a DST on the 34/4-16 S Dugong appraisal well which is still ongoing.
In August, DNO spudded the 2/5-15 Gomez exploration well which was then completed on 24 September having encountered hydrocarbons in the Paleocene target. The producibility of the oil in the reservoir has been questioned so no estimate of resources has been announced yet.
Lundin’s 16/1-34 S, A Lille Prinsen appraisal well was completed on 15 September. The well confirmed hydrocarbons in both the Paleocene, as part of a Verdandi appraisal, and the Permian Zechstein and Basement with combined resources of 12 – 60 mmbbl. The well failed to prove Jurassic sandstones in the Garum lead.
Norwegian Sea
The Equinor-operated 6407/1-9 Egyptian Vulture well was spudded on 24 September and is targeting a Cretaceous turbidite stratigraphic play. This was the second of Longboat Energy’s seven farm-in wells to spud.
Equinor spudded the 6507/3-14 Black Vulture appraisal well on the 28 July and completed on 18 September. The well has been plugged and abandoned dry and will lead to a downgrade in resources.
In June, Wintershall DEA’s 6406/3-10 Bergknapp discovery well was re-entered to complete data acquisition, including a DST, that was unable to be performed in the discovery well due to Covid-19 and associated restrictions. The well was subsequently sidetracked on 14 July and the well completed on 31 August. Three drill stem tests in the original hole produced at a combined rate of >5,500 bopd from the Middle – Lower Jurassic. The 6406/3-10 A sidetrack discovered gas in a deeper Lower Jurassic interval. The combined resources are 97 mmboe.
Barents Sea
The 7122/6-3 S Rødhette well was spudded by Vår Energi on 16 September and is targeting the Middle Jurassic – Triassic in a tilted fault block. This was the first of Longboat Energy’s seven farmin wells to spud.
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