Small discovery at Jetta
ExxonMobil E&P Norway AS (ExxonMobil), the operator of Production License 027D, is about to conclude the drilling of exploration well 25/8-17 and the appraisal well 25/8-17A. Det norske oljeselskap ASA (Det norske) has carried out the drilling on behalf of ExxonMobil. The wells are situated approx. four kilometers south of the Jotun Field in the North Sea (see illustrations).
The primary objective was to prove and appraise petroleum in paleocene reservoir rocks. A small oil column was discovered in upper paleocen (the Heimdal formation) in the 25/8-17, and the discovery was appraised with well 25/8-17A. The reservoir rock was considerably thinner than expected. A limited amount of oil was discovered, by itself not viable for production, with present oil prices.
The wells were not production-tested, but data collection and sampling has been completed. These are the third and fourth exploration wells in Production License 027 D. 25/8-17 was drilled to a vertical depth of 2208 meters below sea level and was concluded in the Ty formation in lower paleocene. 25/8-17A was drilled to a vertical depth of 2154 meters and was concluded in the Heimdal formation in the upper paleocene level. The ocean depth is 127 meters. Both wells will be permanently plugged and abandoned.
The wells were drilled by Bredford Dolphin through cost sharing between Production License 027 D, 169 C and 504. The rig is now moved to Production license 408 in the North Sea, for drilling the exploration well 15/9-23, with Det norske oljeselskap ASA as operator.
The rightful owners of Production License 027D are ExxonMobil EP Norway (25%), Dana Petroleum Norway (30%), Det norske oljeselskap ASA (35%) and Bridge Energy (10%).
