Det norske oljeselskap ASA Discovered More Oil in Storskrymten
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) announced today that Det norske oljeselskap ASA (formerly Pertra ASA), operator of Production License 337, has finalized the drilling of wildcat well 15/12-18 S and the appraisal well 15/12-18A, located in the North Sea between the fields Sleipner Øst and Varg. The well proved two oil discoveries in Paleocene reservoirs.
The wildcat well 15/12-18S had two targets for drilling; one in Paleocene (the Storskrymten prospect), and one in Jurassic/Triassic (the Grytkollen prospect). In the Paleocene section, 23 meters of oil was proven in sandstones with good reservoir characteristics comprised by the Ty formation. In addition, 9-m thick sandstones of Jurassic age (Grytkollen) were encountered, but no hydrocarbons. The well was drilled to a total depth of 3,520 meters below the sea surface and was finished in rocks of Permian age. Oil and rock samples in the Ty formation were collected for further analysis.
The appraisal well 15/12-18A was drilled to delineate the oil discovery and confirm the reservoir development in the Ty formation. As expected, the well encountered sandstones in the Ty formation, but these were located deeper than the oil/water contact identified in the original well. However, the well proved a new discovery of oil-bearing sandstones in the younger Heimdal formation, also of Paleocene age.
Det norske oljeselskap estimates the size of the recoverable volume in Storskrymten, now comprising reservoirs in both the Ty and Heimdal formations, to between 10 and 45 million barrels. Prior to designating the discovery as commercially viable, additional analyses are required to determine whether it is necessary to drill an appraisal well to map the discovery in the size of the Heimdal formation. One alternative might be to produce the oil from the FPSO Petrojarl Varg, located 17 km south of Storskrymten.
"That oil was proven in several reservoir sections in Paleocene is not uncommon, and in this case seems promising for both Storskrymten and the possibility of making additional discoveries in the area", comments CEO of Det norske oljeselskap, Erik Haugane.
