Equinor and its license partners Petoro AS and Wellesley Petroleum AS have found oil and gas in the Swisher prospect. Recoverable resources are estimated to be in the range of 2-6 million standard cubic meters of oil equivalent, corresponding to 13-38 million barrels of oil equivalent.
“We are working continuously on keeping an exploration portfolio that forms the basis for high value creation and in addition can be produced with a low carbon footprint. This discovery contributes to reaching this goal,” says Nick Ashton, Equinor’s senior vice president for exploration in Norway.
Wells 35/11-24 S, 35/11-24 A and 35/11-24 B were drilled around 7 kilometers west of the Fram field and 130 kilometers northwest of Bergen.
The discovery demonstrates the importance of continuous learning. Based on investment in new data and exploration wells that Equinor drilled last year, we have developed new understanding of the underground in one of the most mature and developed areas on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).
Nick Ashton, Equinor’s senior vice president for exploration in Norway. (Photo: Ole Jørgen Bratland)
“This strongly indicates that it is still possible to prove new and profitable resources that can utilize existing infrastructure on the NCS,” says Ashton.
The purpose of the wells was to prove petroleum in the Upper Jurassic rocks of the Heather formation.
Well 35/11-24 S encountered a hydrocarbon column totaling 42 meters in sandstone layers in the Heather formation, of which 21 meters interval were gas and 7 meters in sandstone of mainly moderate to good reservoir quality and 21 meters interval were oil and 17 meters in sandstone of good to moderate reservoir quality.
Well 35/11-24 A encountered a total gas column of 25 meters and up to 6 meters in moderate quality sandstone in the Heather formation. Well 35/11-24 B encountered an oil column of minimum 3 meters in good-quality sandstone in the Heather formation.
The wells were not formation-tested, however extensive data acquisition and sampling were carried out. All wells were concluded in the Heather formation from the Late Jurassic epoch at a depth of 3000-3600 meters. Water depth in the area is 356 meters. The wells have been permanently plugged and abandoned.
The licensees will evaluate the discovery for a potential tie-in to existing infrastructure in the area.
The wells were drilled by the West Hercules drilling rig, which will proceed to drill wildcat well 6407/1-8 S in the Apollonia prospect in production license 263 D in the Norwegian Sea.
