Swedish operator Lundin has identified oil from two new wells in the Norwegian sector of the Arctic.
Lundin completed the drilling of appraisal wells on the Alta field.
Reserves are estimated at 14 and 50 million Sm3 recoverable oil and between 5 and 17 billion Sm3 recoverable gas.
Alta is approximately 20km northeast of Lundin Petroleum’s Gohta discovery in the Barents Sea South and approximately 160km from the Norwegian coastline. The discovery well was completed in October 2014.
The preliminary evaluation of the gross recoverable oil and gas resource range from Alta after the first well was estimated at 125 to 400 million barrels of oil equivalents (MMboe).
The new wells were drilled about four kilometres south of discovery well 7220/11-1 and approximately three kilometres northeast of appraisal wells 7220/11-2 and 7220/11-2 A.
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate said results from the appraisal wells were important for the further work of mapping the east flank of the discovery. The resource estimate will be reassessed based on the new data.
These are the fourth and fifth exploration wells in production licence 609. The wells were drilled by the Island Innovator drilling facility, which will now drill wildcat well 7220/6-2 in the same production licence.
Lundin Petroleum chief operating officer Alex Schneiter, said: “I am very pleased that all three Alta wells and the two sidetracks have proven moveable gas and oil. More importantly we have established good pressure communication between all wells indicating a connected hydrocarbon accumulation over an extensive area.”
Lundin will likely drill up to two further appraisal wells in 2016 in addition to re-entering the latest appraisal well to perform a production test.
The Island Innovator rig will now move to the north of PL609 to drill the Neiden prospect.