Exploration • Drilling • Field Services
High value discoveries dominate exploration successes
Europe, Africa and Asia are leading the way with high- value exploration success being reported. Sean Ottewell reports.
Sean Ottewell informa que Europa, África y Asia están liderando el camino con un éxito exploratorio de gran valor.
Europa, Afrika und Asien sind Vorreiter und berichten von großen Explorationserfolgen. Sean Ottewell berichtet.
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tatoil and its partners have discovered oil in the Snilehorn prospect in the Norwegian Sea, approximately 15 km north east of the Njord field
- the third near-field discovery in the Norwegian Sea in three months. Exploration well 6407/8-6 and sidetrack 6407/8-6A, drilled by the Songa Trym drilling rig, have proven several oil columns in formations dating from the Jurassic period. Te main wellbore has also proven oil at a deeper level, in reservoir rocks of Triassic age, probably Grey Beds formation. Further data analysis will be carried out to clarify the age of this oil bearing formation. Te estimated volume of the discovery is in the range of 55-100 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent. Tis is light oil of high quality, according to Statoil. “In three months we have made three
new discoveries in the Norne, Åsgard and Njord areas proving a total of 86-166 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent. Tese are high value barrels that allow us to extend the production life of our installations,” said Gro G Haatvedt, Statoil senior vice president for exploration on the Norwegian continental shelf. Te Smørbukk North gas/condensate
discovery in the Åsgard area and the Svale North oil discovery in the Norne area were announced in August and September respectively. “A most likely future development of
the Snilehorn discovery will be via the Hyme production system to Njord, or as a direct tie-in to the Njord platform,” says Arve Rennemo, vice president and asset owner of Njord (Fig. 1). Te Snilehorn well results also provide
important new information about the Halten Bank area in shallow water in the Norwegian Sea and indicate that there may be interesting follow-up potential in this area.
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“Tis is probably the first time hydrocarbons have been proven in Grey Beds formation in this part of the Norwegian Sea. Tis will be confirmed by further analyses of the data and may imply further upside potential in this area,” added Haatvedt. Statoil has also had success offshore Canada with its co-venturer Husky Energy. Te two have announced that the first Bay du Nord exploration well has discovered between 300 and 600 million barrels of oil recoverable. Te Bay du Nord discovery, located
approximately 50km north east of St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, was announced in August. A newly-completed sidetrack has now confirmed a high impact discovery. Additional prospective resources have been identified which require further delineation. Te Bay du Nord discovery is Statoil’s
third discovery in the Flemish Pass Basin. Te Mizzen discovery is estimated to hold a total of 100-200 million barrels of oil recoverable. Te Harpoon discovery, announced in June, is still under evaluation and volumes cannot be confirmed at this stage. “It is exciting that Statoil is opening a
new basin offshore Newfoundland,” noted Tim Dodson, executive vice president of Statoil Exploration. “Tis brings us one step closer to becoming a producing operator in the area.”
Advances in Africa OMV and its partners have discovered oil in Libya. Te successful exploration has been made in the Murzuq Basin, 800 km south of the capital Tripoli. “Tis discovery in Libya confirms the potential of the country for OMV’s upstream activities,” said Jaap Huijskes, OMV executive board member responsible for exploration and production. Repsol, the operator of exploration
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