Statoil has proven hydrocarbons in an exploration well in the Gullfaks area of the North Sea. The find is currently not considered to be commercial.
The well was drilled in block 34/10, production licence 050B, in a separate structure roughly 10 kilometres south-west of the Gullfaks field.
Eirik Graue, who was project manager of the well, says that a thin hydrocarbon zone with good properties was proven. This was most probably oil, but the well was not production tested. Measurements of the pressure in the reservoir, however, provided promising information, both in respect of this find and with a view to future exploration in the area.
“Even though the find is probably not commercial this time, the volumes may be large enough to justify a sidetrack from a nearby template in the future,” he says.
The rig TransoceanWildcat completed the drilling in 48 days, well ahead of schedule. Total vertical depth was 3,220 metres, but the well track has a total length of 5,725 metres, travelling diagonally and partly horizontally through Jurassic, Triassic and Cretaceous rocks.
Statoil is the operator in production licence 050B and has an 18 per cent interest. The other partners are the state’s direct financial interest (SDFI) with 73 per cent, and Norsk Hydro with nine per cent.