North Sea Discoveries: Aker BP, Equinor, DNO See Size Increase

Three Norwegian oil and gas companies – Aker BP, Equinor, and DNO – have concluded appraisal drilling on two hydrocarbon discoveries in the North Sea off Norway, according to Offshore Energy. This activity has resulted in an upward revision of the estimated size of these finds.

Aker BP, in conjunction with its partners Equinor and DNO, drilled the 16/1-EA-4 H appraisal well on the Verdandi and Lillefix discoveries. The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has indicated that this drilling has increased the projected discovery size.

The 16/1-EA-4 H well was situated approximately 200 kilometres west of Stavanger. Odfjell Drilling's Deepsea Nordkapp rig conducted the drilling, operating from the subsea template on the Symra field as a horizontal appraisal wellbore. This constituted the 11th exploration well within production license 167, which was originally awarded in the 13th licensing round.

Drilling Details and Findings

The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 1,864 metres below sea level, concluding in the Heimdal Formation from the Palaeocene period. The primary objectives were to confirm the presence of reservoir rocks from the Palaeocene in the Heimdal Formation and to delineate the extent of the reservoir and the presumed oil-water contact.

During drilling, the well encountered a 14-metre gas column and a 44-metre oil column within sandstone layers of the Heimdal Formation. The gas-oil contact was identified at 1,776 metres below sea level. A total of 1,515 reservoir metres were drilled horizontally through the oil zone in the Heimdal Formation, which exhibited moderate reservoir quality. Data acquisition efforts included obtaining fluid samples and pressure points.

Revised Estimates and Future Considerations

Prior to the appraisal drilling, the companies had estimated the discovery size to be between 0.6 and 1.9 million standard cubic metres of oil equivalent (approximately 4 to 12 million barrels). Following preliminary calculations conducted after the drilling, the estimated size has been revised upwards to 1.3 to 2.4 million standard cubic metres of oil equivalent (approximately 8 to 15 million barrels).

The water depth at the drilling location was 116 metres. The well has since been permanently plugged and abandoned. The partners involved are now assessing the economic viability of the discovery and evaluating its potential for tie-back to the Symra field.