Gas and condensate have been proven by a Statoil exploration well in block 30/3 south of the group's Huldra field in the North Sea.
Drilling was carried out by West Alpha in 123 metres of water, and terminated in Middle Jurassic rocks at a depth of 4,022 metres below sea level.
No production testing has been done, and the well is now plugged and abandoned.
"Analyses of the extensive data collected from 30/3-9 must be evaluated before we can determine whether commercial volumes are present," says Reidar Helland, area manager for the Horda region of the northern North Sea.
The discovery could be developed with subsea installations tied back to the Huldra platform, which is due to be installed this summer.
Once the wellstream has been processed there, the gas can be piped on to Norsk Hydro's Heimdal field and the condensate to Statoil's Veslefrikk field for onward transport.
Statoil's partners in 30/3 are the state's direct financial interest, Total Norge, RWE-DEA, Petro-Canada Norge and Svenska Petroleum Exploration.