ConocoPhillips makes discovery near Balder field

ConocoPhillips has made a hydrocarbon discovery at its wildcat well 25/7-7 near the Balder field in the North Sea, offshore Norway.

The primary and secondary exploration targets for the well were to prove petroleum in Upper Jurassic reservoir rocks (Intra-Draupne and Heather Formation sandstones, respectively).

According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, in the primary exploration target, the well encountered two separate gas/condensate and oil-bearing intervals, with sandy layers in the Draupne Formation totaling about 25 meters with reservoir properties varying from poor to very good. No hydrocarbon/water contact was encountered. Thin water-bearing siltstone layers were encountered in the secondary exploration target in the Heather Formation.

“Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery between 1 and 10 million standard cubic meters (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalent. The licensees will further assess the well result with regard to delineation/profitability, as well as investigation of nearby prospects,” the NPD said.

The well, in production license 782 S, was drilled to a vertical depth of 4705 meters below sea level, and it was terminated in the Heather Formation in the Middle Jurassic. The water depth at the site is 127 meters. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned.

ConocoPhillips used the Leiv Eiriksson semi-submersible drilling rig for the 25/7-7 well some 15 kilometers northwest of the Balder field in the central part of the North Sea and 205 kilometers west of Stavanger. The offshore rig will now drill a wildcat well in production license 917, where ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS is the operator.

Offshore Energy Today Staff

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