DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, announced an oil discovery in license PL1086 in which the Company holds a 50 percent operated interest with the balance held by partners Aker BP ASA (20 percent), Petoro AS (20 percent) and Source Energy AS (10 percent).
Light oil was discovered in Palaeocene sandstones of good reservoir quality with preliminary estimates of gross recoverable resources in the range of 27-57 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe) on a P90-P10 basis, with a mean of 41 MMboe.
As this is the first time moveable oil has been encountered in the Borr unit of the V氓le Formation in the Norwegian sector, the discovery is considered a play opener. The well had two exploration targets, a deeper prospect (Falstaff) where no reservoir was encountered and a shallower prospect (Othello) where a 16-meter net oil bearing reservoir was encountered. This discovery was subsequently confirmed in a sidetrack.
The Othello discovery marks the second new play DNO, as operator, has proven recently in Norway, following last year鈥檚 Norma discovery (30 percent and operator). Remarkably, Othello has discovered oil east in the basin where migration risk was commonly thought to be too high. In recent years, the industry has shown little exploration interest in this area, which has been disparagingly called 鈥渢he dry belt鈥�.
Together with its partners, DNO is already considering tying back the discovery to existing infrastructure, with the ConocoPhillips Ekofisk hub some 40 kilometers to the west and the Valhall hub operated by Aker BP some 55 kilometers to the southwest.
鈥淒NO has become a North Sea playmaker,鈥� said Executive Chairman Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani. 鈥淲e have proven persistent, purposeful and pertinacious and these qualities pay in exploration. In addition to our ongoing exploration campaign, we will focus on other identified, and now derisked by Othello, prospects in the area,鈥� he added.
Meanwhile, the licensees of nearby PL1085, comprising DNO (25 percent), Aker BP (55 percent and operator) and Petoro (20 percent), are considering developing the 2022 Overly discovery in the permit as a tieback to Aker BP鈥檚 Valhall hub based on recently completed studies leading to increased estimates of recoverable resources. Overly lies 10 kilometers north of Valhall.
The PL1086 well and the sidetrack were drilled by the Noble Invincible jackup which will now move to drill a production well on the nearby Tambar East oilfield in which DNO holds a 37.8 percent interest.
Also nearby, the 2026 Sunndal exploration well is planned to be drilled in PL1171 by DNO (50 percent) and Aker BP (50 percent and operator).