Statoil completes dry well drilling in Barents Sea

Statoil Petroleum ASA, operator of production licence 615, has competed the drilling of wildcat well 7324/2-1, in the Barents Sea.

The well was drilled approximately 45 km north of the 7324/8-1 ‘Wisting Central’ oil discovery, and 350 km north of Hammerfest.

The primary exploration target for the well was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks from the Middle Jurassic to Late Triassic Age (the Realgrunnen sub-group).

The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks from the Late Triassic Age (the Snadd formation).

The well encountered reservoir rocks approximately 15 m thick and with good reservoir quality, in the Stø formation in the Realgrunnen sub-group. In the Snadd formation, approximately 170 m of reservoir rocks were encountered, with mostly poor reservoir quality and just a few metres with good reservoir quality. The well is dry.

Data acquisition and sampling have been carried out.

This is the first exploration well in production licence 615. The licence was awarded in the 21st licensing round in 2011.

The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 1050 m below the sea surface, and was terminated in the Snadd formation from the Late Triassic. Water depth at the site is 443 m. The well has been permanently plugged and abandoned.

Well 7324/2-1 was drilled by the Transocean Spitsbergen drilling facility, which will now drill wildcat well 7325/1-1 in the same production licence.

Adapted from press by Katie Woodward

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/drilling-and-production/20062014/statoil_completes_drilling_of_dry_well_in_barents_sea_873/