Well Slot is a monthly feature where Westwood’s Stephen Coomber looks at drilling activity and rig moves in UK and Norwegian waters.
UK Offshore Well Slot May 2024
As of 24 May, Westwood Global Energy reports that there are no exploration or appraisal wells active on the UKCS.
Only one well has completed during 2024, with the 21/3d-9, Z, Y Leverett appraisal well which spudded in 2023.
No well programmes have spudded in 2024 to date and no wells are expected to spud until July when the Shell-operated 48/8b Selene well is due to start operations as well as the Harbour-operated Joselyn South well which will be drilled from the Judy field template.
© Supplied by Maersk DrillingThese will be followed by the Shell-operated Pensacola appraisal well.
A total of five exploration and four appraisal wells have the potential of spudding this year, although many may be delayed or not complete by year end.
Although the number of wells expected to be drilled is only slightly lower than the nine exploration and four appraisals completed in 2023, the timings of the wells are all in the second half of the year.
Norway Well Slot May 2024
As of 24 May, Westwood Global Energy reports that there are eight exploration wells active on the NCS, with Brokk-Mju in the CNS, Alvheim Deep, Gimle/Alborix, Cuvette, Toppand East and Cerisa in the NNS, Lavrans (exploration segment) in the Norwegian Sea, and Venus in the Barents Sea.
Since the previous report, the Frigg GammaDelta Ypsilon well has completed. Four exploration wells spudded at Venus, Cuvette, Gimle/Alborix and Toppand East.
Barents Sea
The Vår Energi-operated 7219/6-1 Venus well was spudded on 27 April, with the Transocean Enabler. The high impact and ILX well is targeting the Paleogene. The pre-drill resources are 353 mmboe.
Norwegian Sea
The 6406/2-L-2 H Lavrans well, operated by Equinor, was spudded on 19 January with the Transocean Spitsbergen. The well is targeting the Middle – Lower Jurassic and, if successful, will be tied back to Kristin.
North Sea
The 35/11-29 S Toppand East well, operated by Wellesley Petroleum, on behalf of licence operator Equinor, was spudded on 9 May with the COSLPromoter. The well is targeting Middle Jurassic reservoirs. Pre-drill resources are 61 mmboe.
The 35/11-27 S Cuvette well, operated by Wintershall Dea, was spudded on 28 April with the Transocean Norge. The well is targeting the Upper and Middle Jurassic. Pre-drill resources are 7 – 28 mmboe.
© Supplied by Wintershall DeaThe 15/3-13 S Brokk-Mju well, operated by Equinor, was spudded on 21 April with the Deepsea Stavanger semi-sub. The ILX HPHT well will target the Brokk and Mju prospects in the Upper and Middle Jurassic, respectively. Pre-drill resources are 25 mmboe.
The Aker BP-operated 24/6-5 Alvheim Deep well was spudded on 3 April with the Noble Integrator jackup. The well is targeting the Upper Jurassic. The pre-drill resource range is 24 – 159 mmboe.
The 25/2-25 S, A, AY2, B, BY2 Frigg-GammaDelta Ypsilon well, operated by AkerBP, was completed on 11 May having been spudded on 9 March with the Scarabeo 8 semi-sub. The initial well targeted the Eocene in the Ypsilon prospect with a pre-drill resource range of 9 – 22 mmboe.
Long-reach horizontal appraisal wells followed, along the flanks of the Frigg-GammaDelta structure. The well programme has been P&A oil however no details of the results have been announced to date.
The 36/7-5 S, A, B Cerisa well, operated by Vår Energi, was spudded on 29 March with the Deepsea Yantai semi-sub. The well was sidetracked on 2 May and 17 May. The primary target is the Lower Cretaceous. Pre-drill resources are 30 mmboe.
The Equinor-operated 34/10-C-51 A Gimle/Alborix well was spudded on 17 February from the Gullfaks C platform. The well is appraising the area between the Gimle and Sindre fields and exploring the Alborix target, likely in Middle Jurassic to Upper Triassic reservoirs.
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