Statoil updates in North Sea and Greenland

Exploration wells in the North Sea
Statoil has together with PL272 partners made a gas discovery in the Askja West prospect and an oil discovery in the Askja East prospect in the North Sea.

The exploration wells 30/11-9 S and 30/11-9 A, drilled by the drilling rig Ocean Vanguard, are located between the Oseberg and Frigg fields and about 13 km southeast of the Statoil-operated Krafla/Krafla West discoveries.

Main wellbore 30/11-9 S tested the Askja West prospect and proved a net gas column of 90 m in Late and Middle Jurassic rocks.

Side-track 30/11-9 A tested the Askja East prospect and proved a net oil column of 40 m in the same geological formations. The reservoir properties were as expected in both wells.

Statoil estimates the total volumes in Askja West and Askja East to be in the range of 19 - 44 million boe of recoverable.

"We are pleased to start 2014 with a gas and oil find in the Askja West and East prospects, in the very heart of the North Sea. This demonstrates once again that even the most mature parts of the NCS still have an exciting value creation potential," says May-Liss Hauknes, Vice President Exploration North Sea in Statoil.

"Askja will be considered developed together with the Krafla and Krafla West discoveries made by Statoil in 2011," says Knut Skjoldli, Vice President Field Development in Statoil.

Exploration wells 30/11-9 S and 30/11-9 A are situated in PL272 in the North Sea. Statoil is operator with an interest of 50%. The partners are Svenska Petroleum Exploration AS (25%) and Det norske oljeselskap ASA (25%).

Greenland licence awarded
Statoil, along with partners ConocoPhillips and Nunaoil, has been awarded block 6 in the East Greenland licence round. Statoil will be operator of the block.

Block 6 is located offshore northeast Greenland in a frontier area. Statoil will hold 52.5%, ConocoPhillips will have 35% and Nunaoil will have 12.5%.

“We have been present in Greenland since the late 1980s and are constantly building experience and knowledge. We are taking a stepwise approach to the Arctic, building on more than 30 years of experience from the harsh environment of the Norwegian continental shelf and other Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. Adding this licence to our portfolio is part of our long-term Arctic positioning and development of new technology is a pre-requisite for any future operations in this licence," says Runi M. Hansen, Statoil Country Manager for Greenland and the Faroes.

The licence has a 16-year exploration period. The first work carried out is seismic acquisition, after which decisions on further work will be made. Statoil has carried out both shallow core drilling and scientific work in the area previously to understand the operating environment.

"We recognise that this is a challenging area, but it is also potentially prospective. And we believe that Arctic resources in the future will become important to meeting the world’s energy demand. Being in a frontier area, this licence is a long-term project for Statoil and the company will follow its stepwise approach, not going faster than technology allows," says Hansen.

This is not the first time Statoil has carried out activities in Greenland. In the 1990s, Statoil drilled an exploration well in the Fylla area west of Greenland – but the company relinquished this exploration license in 2002. Statoil is also partner in three licences – Anu, Napu and Pitu – in the Baffin Bay west of Greenland.

Statoil already holds offshore positions in Arctic conditions in Norway, Russia, the US and Canada.

Edited from various sources by Cecilia Rehn

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/exploration/06012014/statoil_upstream_activities_updates_in_the_north_sea_and_greenland/