Aker BP makes Hassel natural gas discovery near successful region offshore Norway
(WO) – According to the Norwegian Offshore Directorate, Aker BP gas made another natural gas discovery in wildcat well 7324/8-4 (Hassel) in the Barents Sea, around 300 km offshore Norway.
This is the second well to be drilled in production license 1170, which was awarded in APA 2021. Gas was also recently proven in the first well in the production license, 7324/6-2. Both wells were drilled by the Scarabeo 8 rig.
Preliminary estimates indicate the size of the natural gas discovery at between 3.23 – 4.42 MMboe.
Wells 7324/6-2 and 7324/8-4 were drilled in the Hoop fault complex, close to the 7324/8-1 (Wisting) and 7324/7-2 (Hanssen) oil discoveries. Several wells have been drilled earlier in other production licenses in the area, some of which resulted in discoveries (7325/4-1 (Gemini Nord), 7324/9 (Mercury), 7324/6-1 (Sputnik), 7324/3-1 (Intrepid Eagle) and 7325/1-1 (Atlantis)).
The licensees in this area are Equinor, Aker BP, Petoro and Inpex Idemitsu.
Geological information. The objective of the well was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic to Upper Triassic reservoir rocks in the Stø and Fruholmen formations.
Well 7324/8-4 encountered a 30 m reservoir zone in the Stø and Fruholmen formations, with an 11 m gas column, a total of 8 m of which in sandstone layers with very good reservoir quality.
The gas/water contact was encountered 686 m below sea level. The well was not formation-tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out.
Well 7324/8-4 was drilled to a vertical depth of 781 m below sea level, and was terminated in the Snadd Formation in the Upper Triassic.
Water depth at the site is 401 m. The Norwegian Offshore Directorate says well will be permanently plugged and abandoned.
