DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, announced completion of an appraisal well and sidetrack that further delineated the 2023 Heisenberg oil and gas discovery in Norwegian North Sea license PL827SB. Heisenberg, a new shallow play in the northern part of the Norwegian North Sea, is now estimated to hold recoverable volumes in the range of 24 to 56 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe) (mean of 37 MMboe). Oil-bearing sands were encountered in a deeper secondary target, Hummer.
The license partnership, which in addition to DNO Norge AS (49 percent) includes operator Equinor Energy AS, is planning a well in the second quarter of this year to explore an additional deep prospect, Angel, while delineating Heisenberg towards the west.
Surrounded by major North Sea hubs Troll B, Kvitebjørn and Gjøa (the first two operated by Equinor), Heisenberg lies within tieback range of these hosts. Studies are underway for fast-track development of Heisenberg in coordination with a string of recent discoveries in this area in which DNO has a significant presence, including in last year’s Carmen discovery (30 percent).
“With recent exploration successes, our North Sea portfolio has tilted towards quality discoveries which we now need to rebalance by adding production,” said DNO’s Executive Chairman Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani.
In 2023, the Company was the third most active exploration driller on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and ranked second in terms of discovered volumes with an estimated 100 MMboe net to DNO. The Company has prioritized near-infrastructure exploration in areas with clear routes to commercialization of discoveries and has been an early mover in acquiring substantial acreage positions in selected areas which have since become hotspots.