StatoilHydro has discovered hydrocarbons in two wells in the Oseberg area
“The well is designed to be converted to a producer within 45 days after the discovery, giving an extremely quick turnover from prospective resources to producible reserves,” says Oseberg Petech project leader Trond Eide.
Prospect mapping and well planning was a collaborative effort between the Oseberg Petech team and the North Sea infrastructure-led exploration team, with the former unit being responsible for the drilling operation.
“Work is currently underway to determine the optimal production solution,” says Bjørn Inge Braathen, leader of the exploration team working in the Oseberg area. Depending on the development solution, preliminary expected volumes are around 5 million barrels of oil.
Shortly after the Theta discovery, oil and gas was also found in the Delta S2 structure in the Oseberg South area. The Delta S2 discovery targeted the Brent Group, and is believed to contain about 16 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalents. Well 30/9-21S was drilled by Transocean Winner, and the rig is now drilling a second branch to test the nearby Richards prospect.
“We have been excited about the prospectivity of the Oseberg area for a long time, and after a few years of limited exploration in the area it’s good to see that the efforts are stepped up in a successful manner,” says Tom Dreyer, vice president for infrastructure-led exploration North Sea.
The Delta S2 discovery may be tied to the nearby Delta template within a few years and continued exploration success in the area may trigger new development solutions.
