Equinor to put new oil & gas find on stream immediately

Norwegian energy giant Equinor and partners Total and Vår Energi have struck oil and gas in a new segment belonging to the Tyrihans field in the Norwegian Sea. The discovery will be put on stream immediately.

Recoverable resources are so far estimated at between 3.0 and 4.2 million standard cubic metres of recoverable oil equivalent, corresponding to 19 – 26 million barrels of oil equivalent, Equinor said in a statement on Wednesday.

“It is encouraging to prove new resources that can extend the life of producing fields in the Norwegian Sea”, said Nick Ashton, Equinor’s senior vice president for exploration on the Norwegian continental shelf.

The exploration well 6407/1-A-3 BH in production licence 073 was drilled from subsea template A at Tyrihans North using the Transocean Norge drilling rig.

The Tyrihans field is located in the middle of the Norwegian Sea, some 25 kilometres southeast of the Åsgard field and 220 kilometres northwest of Trondheim.

It is a complete subsea solution tied back to existing installations and infrastructure on the Kristin and Åsgard fields in the Halten Bank area of the Norwegian Sea.

According to Equinor, the licensees consider the discovery commercial and intend to start production immediately.

“Thanks to the location we are able to put the discovery on stream over the Tyrihans field immediately, which will both ensure good profitability and low CO2 emissions from production”, said Ashton.

The purpose of the well was to prove petroleum in lower-mid Jurassic reservoir rocks (Ile and Tilje formations).

Equinor said that the well struck a gas column of about 43 metres and an oil column of about 15 metres in the Ile formation, including about 76 metres of moderate to good reservoir quality sandstone. In the Tilje formation moderate to good quality water-bearing reservoir was struck.

The well was not formation tested, but data acquisition and sampling took place. This is the sixth exploration well drilled on the Tyrihans field, and the fifth exploration well drilled in production licence 73 awarded in the 5th licensing round in 1982.

Equinor also stated that the well was drilled to a vertical depth of 3998 metres below the sea level and a measured depth of 5332 metres.

The well was completed in the Åre formation from the lower Jurassic period in 288 metres of water. The pilot will be permanently plugged and abandoned.

The Transocean Norge drilling rig will now continue drilling the producer 6407/1-A-3 CH on the Tyrihans field.