UK
At the end of September there were six active E&A wells in the UK, a reduction of two on the eight that were drilling at the end of August. No new well programmes commenced during September meaning the number of E&A spuds recorded this year remains at 18. There is one active well in each of the West of Shetlands and Northern North Sea and two in each of the Central and Southern North Seas.
West of Shetlands
Nexen continues drilling the long duration, deep Craster exploration Well 205/15-1 with the West Phoenix where it is evaluating prospectivity in the Mesozoic to the west of the Clair Field. BP is gearing up to drill the Achmelvich exploration well to the southeast of the Clair Field and is awaiting the rig from Capercaillie, which is still active.
Northern North Sea
In the Northern North Sea, Apache is continuing operations with the WilPhoenix on appraisal Well 9/19b-22 on the Upper Jurassic Callater Field, which spudded on August 12. The well is targeting an undrilled fault block immediately adjacent to the main field. Once this well completes, the operator will move the rig to drill the Eocene Titan Prospect in adjacent Block 9/14b.
Central North Sea
Nexen’s HPHT Glengorm exploration well, 22/21c-12, was re-spudded on August 4 for mechanical reasons. However, with mechanical problems also encountered on the re-spudded well, drilling operations were abandoned and the Maersk Gallant rig was moved off station in August. The well is a firm commitment to test prospectivity in the Upper Jurassic and it is expected the consortium will return to drill the well to its target depth prior to licence expiry at the end of 2020. BP sidetracked the Palaeocene Capercaillie well, 29/4e-5, on August 17 with the Paul B Loyd Junior, thereby delaying its move to drill the West of Shetlands Achmelvich well, where BP is also the operator.
Both the Verbier 20/5b-13 (Upper Jurassic) and Partridge 14/11a-2 (Lower Cretaceous) high impact exploration wells were announced as dry during September. Azinor has now moved the Ocean Guardian off location, with the well abandoned around September 8, and deferred the planned appraisal/exploration well on Agar and Plantain in Block 9/14a until 2018, which was the Ocean Guardian’s next location. The rig is now stacked in the Cromarty Firth. Statoil, however, is drilling a sidetrack to its Verbier Well 20/5b-13. This sidetrack well is the most recent to commence in the UK having spudded on September 21 and is targeting hydrocarbons in an up-dip location on the structure.
Southern North Sea
Wintershall is continuing operations with its appraisal well on the Winchelsea Discovery that was made in 2016. The well commenced on July 6 with the jack-up Maersk Resolve. Resources are estimated at 150 bcf in the Carboniferous, and positive results could lead to a tie-back development via the operator’s nearby Wingate Field. The most recent well programme to start in the UK is Oranje Nassau’s South Sean exploration well, 49/25b-11, which spudded on August 29. It was re-spudded on September 3 for mechanical issues. The Prospector 1 is targeting potential in the Rotliegendes which can be tied back to the adjacent Oranje Nassau operated Sean Field.
As expected, the brief surge in drilling seen during the summer has reduced in September, with no new well programmes starting this month, the only new activity being two sidetrack wells and one re-spud from existing programmes. Notable this month, however, is the failure of two further high impact wells.
Of the five high impact wells to be drilled in the North Sea this year, each targeting resources of over 100 mmboe, all now appear to have failed (although this has yet to be confirmed at Jock Scott and in the updip sidetrack on Verbier). Consequently, the UK is now reliant on success at either Craster (Nexen, drilling) or Achmelvich (BP, spud expected in Q4), both in the West of Shetlands, to deliver any new material volumes through exploration in 2017.
Norway
The four well starts this month makes September the second most active month in 2017, after the six starts in August. This takes the total number of E&A spuds this year to 23, one less than the same point in 2012 and 2016. September has also seen the completion of four wells, leaving four wells active at month’s end, all of which are exploration wells targeting the Koigen Central, Nordfjellet, Goliat Eye and Borselv prospects.
North Sea
On September 10, Aker BP completed appraisal Well 25/2-19 S on the Delta structure, part of the Frigg Gamma Delta Discovery. However, results of the appraisal well will only be announced upon completion of the exploration sidetrack well 25/2-19 A, which is targeting the Nordfjellet Prospect and which kicked off on September 11. Wellesley Petroleum completed its first operated well, 33/9-22, with the Deepsea Bergen (SS), on September 17. The well, targeting the Goanna Prospect, encountered c. 50m (164ft) of very good reservoir quality Upper Jurassic Munin sandstone in the Draupne Formation, however, the well was abandoned dry.
Norwegian Sea
Since Statoil’s small Carmen gas discovery on August 25, there has been no further activity in the Norwegian Sea. So far this year, three wells have been drilled in the Norwegian Sea, the same as the whole of 2016, though this activity is significantly lower than the average for the past five years of six and a half wells drilled by September.
Barents Sea
On September 1, Lundin spudded Well 7220/6-3 with the Leiv Eiriksson (SS), targeting Permian carbonates in the tilted fault block Borselv Prospect. The next day Eni spudded its second operated well of the year, 7122/10-1 S, targeting the Goliat Eye Prospect. Well 7122/10-1 S is being drilled by the Scarabeo 8 (SS) and is targeting oil in five Triassic aged targets, around 10km south west of the Goliat Field. The Songa Enabler (SS) spudded Statoil’s fifth and final Barents Sea exploration well of 2017 on September 13 on the Koigen Central Prospect. Well 7317/9-1 is targeting oil in a faulted Middle Jurassic prospect that has been described as analogous to the Johan Castberg Discovery. Given that Statoil’s other four exploration wells have failed to prove commercial volumes, Statoil will be looking to this well to provide its first commercial success in the Barents Sea this year.
OMV completed appraisal operations on the Wisting Central Discovery with the Island Innovator (SS) at Well 7324/8-3 on September 17. The well encountered an oil column of c.55m (180ft) in sandstones of the Middle Jurassic to Late Triassic Stø and Fruholmen formations. The well also included a water-injection test, which showed that the Stø Formation has suitable reservoir properties for water-injection.
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