Eni Norway said a well close to the Johan Castberg field has come up dry.
The company, which is operator of production licence 226, is in the process of completing the drilling of the wildcat well 7222/1-1.
The well was drilled about 80km northeast of oilfield Johan Castberg and about 250km north of Hammerfest.
The purpose of the well had been to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks from the Middle Triassic and Permian.
Secondary objectives were reservoir rocks of Triassic age and Permian.
Eni said the well encountered 22 metres of sandstone reservoir of poor quality with traces of gas in the Kobbe formation.
The well was completed before it reached Ørnformasjonen.
This is the first exploration well in production license 226 , which was awarded on 30 May 1997 in the Barents Sea project.
