An exploration well aimed at the Topas prospect in the North Sea was recently spudded by Statoil from its Gullfaks C platform.
The target structure lies on the boundary between the Gullfaks and Visund wells, and the well is already about 1,100 metres long. Its total measured depth will be roughly 7,000 metres.
Drilling is expected to take 100 days, with the well due to be completed during June.
A possible discovery could be tied back to Gullfaks C, reports Bengt Beskow, exploration manager for the Tampen area.
âExploration close to existing installations is important if weâre to ensure the recovery of as much of the remaining resources in the mature areas as possible.â
He adds that several other extended-reach wells have already been drilled in the Tampen region from fixed installations.
These operations have yielded important expertise for making small oil and gas projects profitable on the Norwegian continental shelf.