Monday 27 August 2018

Lundin Norway AS, operator of production licence 338C, has concluded the drilling of appraisal well 16/1-28 S.

The well was drilled about one kilometre northeast of the discovery well, 16/1-12, and around 190 kilometres west of Stavanger. The 16/1-12 (Rolvsnes) discovery is located just south of the Edvard Grieg field. The discovery was proven in basement rocks in 2009 and delineated by well 16/1-25 S in 2015. Prior to the drilling of 16/1-28 S, the operator’s resource estimate for the discovery was between 0.4 and 2.2 million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil and between 0.3 and 0.4 billion Sm3 of recoverable gas.

Appraisal well 16/1-28 S was drilled with a horizontal reservoir section towards the southwest, to about one kilometre north of 16/1-25 S. The objective of the well was to investigate whether a horizontal well, drilled in fractured and weathered basement rocks, could deliver production rates that are commercially interesting, as well as to assess the reservoir quality.

In the horizontal section, the well encountered 2500 metres of granitic basement rock with poor reservoir quality. Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery between 2 and 11 million Sm3 of recoverable oil and between 0.1 and 2 billion Sm3 of recoverable gas. The licensees will assess the discovery with a view toward a potential application to conduct test production, probably by tying in the appraisal well to existing infrastructure on the Edvard Grieg field.

The well was formation-tested (DST) for ten days, and extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out, including production logging. The production rate from DST was 1100 Sm3 oil per flow day through a 52/64” nozzle opening. The main flow period of 5 days was held with a rate of 700 Sm3 of oil per flow day through a 52/64” nozzle opening. The oil is undersaturated with a gas/oil ratio of 110 Sm3/Sm3. The formation test showed good productivity.

This is the third exploration well to be drilled in production licence PL338C. The licence was carved out from production licence 338 (awarded in APA 2004) and awarded on 16 December 2014.

Well 16/1-28 S was drilled to respective vertical and measured depths of 1919 and 4880 metres below the sea surface, and was terminated in granitic basement rock. Water depth at the site is 107 metres. The well will now be temporarily plugged and abandoned.

The well was drilled by the COSL Innovator drilling facility.