Equinor has made a minor discovery, drilled dry well in North Sea
STAVANGER -- Equinor Energy AS, operator of production license 630, has completed the drilling of wildcat wells 35/10-4 S and 35/10-4 A.
The wells were drilled about 6.2 mi (10 km) southwest of the Vega field in the northern part of the North Sea.
The primary exploration target for well 35/10-4 S was to prove petroleum in Middle and Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Brent group and the Cook formation). The secondary exploration target was to prove hydrocarbons in Upper Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Heather formation), as well as to test the reservoir potential in the Paleocene (Intra Balder sands/the Sele formation).
Well 35/10-4 S encountered the Brent group, about 689 ft (210 m) thick, of which 131 ft (40 m) are effective reservoir rocks of sandstone, mainly with poor to moderate reservoir properties. The Cook formation has a thickness of about 459 ft (140 m), with 246 ft (75 m) effective reservoir rocks mainly with moderate to good reservoir properties. Both primary targets were aquiferous.
In the secondary exploration targets, the Heather formation has thin sandstone layers totaling about 32 ft (10 m) with poor reservoir quality. Traces of oil were proven in one of the lower layers. In the Paleocene, the well encountered a 56-ft (17-m) thick aquiferous sand package with good reservoir properties. Data was acquired in the well.
The primary exploration target for well 35/10-4 A was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks in the Upper Jurassic (the Heather formation). The secondary exploration target was to explore the reservoir properties in Middle Jurassic deposits from the Callovian Age.
Well 35/10-4 A encountered sandstone layers in the Heather formation totaling about 400 ft (122 m), mainly with poor reservoir quality. Oil was proven, but the oil/water contact was not encountered. Preliminary estimates show from 0.2 MSm3 to 1.2 MSm3 recoverable oil. The volume range is mainly due to uncertain reservoir quality. A preliminary assessment indicates that the discovery is not currently profitable. The well was not drilled into the secondary exploration target.
Extensive volumes of data were collected in the well.
These are the first and second exploration wells in production license 630. The license was awarded in APA 2011.
Well 35/10-4 S was drilled to a vertical depth of 12,424 ft (3,787 m) below the sea surface and was terminated in the Amundsen formation in the Lower Jurassic.
Well 35/10-4 A was drilled to a vertical depth of 11,177 ft (3,407 m) below the sea surface and was terminated in the Heather formation in the Upper Jurassic.
Water depth is 1,190 ft (363 m). The wells have been permanently plugged and abandoned.
The wells were drilled by the Deepsea Bergen, which then went on to drill wildcat well 6407/11-1 in the Norwegian Sea in production license 751, where Equinor Energy AS is the operator.
