Statoil has made a “minor” North Sea oil discovery.
The operator was drilling to wildcat wells two kilometres southeast of the 30/11-9 A discovery (Askja East) and 35 kilometres southwest of the Oseberg South facility in the North Sea, when it made the find.
The first wildcat encountered a 25-metre oil column in the upper part of the Tarbert formation, of which 22 metres had moderate to good reservoir properties. The second wildcat came up dry.
Both wells proved sandstones with moderate to good porosity in the Ness formation, but these were aquiferous, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.
“Preliminary estimation of the size of the discovery in well 30/11-11 S is between 0.2 and 0.5 million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil,” a statement read.
The pair were the 12th and 13th exploration wells drilled under production licence 035, which was awarded in 1969.
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