Westwood Global Energy reports that just one exploration well was active on the UKCS at the end of February, with no change since the end of last month. In addition, one exploration has now completed in 2018.
West of Shetlands
There is no current E&A drilling activity in the West of Shetlands. The next well expected to be drilled is Siccar Point’s Cambo appraisal, where an Extended Well Test is planned. Notification to drill using the West Hercules was submitted in January.
Northern North Sea
In the Northern North Sea, Apache spudded its Middle Jurassic Garten exploration well on 5 February with the WilPhoenix (SS). The well lies between the Beryl and Buckland fields in the Northern North Sea and is Apache’s eighth near-field target to be drilled with the aim of adding new reserves over its Beryl area infrastructure.
Central North Sea
The final E&A well of 2017 was spudded on 21 December by Apache and targeted the Upper Jurassic Val d’Isere prospect with the WilPhoenix (SS), immediately north of the Forties Field. Well 21/10b-11 however was abandoned as a dry hole towards the end of January, having failed to find hydrocarbons. The rig then moved to drill the operator’s Garten exploration well.
Southern North Sea
With no current E&A drilling activity, the next well which is expected to be drilled is the Andromeda prospect, close to Spirit Energy’s Pegasus development. Notification for the drilling of this well, however, has yet to be submitted to the OGA.
Norway Well Slot
Westwood Global Energy reports that a discovery was made, two appraisal wells spudded and an appraisal well junked on the Norwegian Continental Shelf in February. There were five active wells at the end of February and the total number of both well starts and completions in 2018 are also five.
North Sea
On 7 February Lundin spud appraisal well 16/4-11 from the COSL Innovator, targeting the Luno II discovery to the south of the Edvard Grieg field. Following the junking of well 35/9-13 due to technical issues on 20 January, Spirit Energy spudded well 35/9-14 from the Songa Enabler targeting the Tethys prospect and it remains active. Aker BP announced that it made the Frosk (Frog) discovery with well 24/9-12 S, drilled from the Transocean Arctic, which completed on 8 February. Aker BP kicked off sidetrack well 24/9-12 A on 9 February and is presumed targeting the Marihøne B (Ladybird) prospect and appraising the Frosk discovery. The sidetrack was completed on 25 February. Statoil’s appraisal well 30/8-5, investigating the Statfjord Group within the Tune field is reported by the NPD to have been junked as a dry well on 19 February, however, results are still to be formally released.
Norwegian Sea
On 3 February Spirit Energy spud appraisal well 6506/9-4 S, from the Island Innovator, to test the commerciality of the Fogelberg discovery made by Centrica in 2010. Well 6604/5-1 was spudded on 10 January 2018 by Wintershall using the West Phoenix targeting the Balderbrå prospect and is still active. The OMV operated well 6506/11-10, being drilled from the Deepsea Bergen and targeting the Iris and Hades prospects, was also active at the end of February.
Barents Sea
The most recent activity in the Barents Sea was the completion of well 7219/12-3 S, which failed to encounter the primary reservoir and hydrocarbons with the secondary reservoir target of the Hurri prospect in January.
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