Vår Energi and its partner Equinor have proven oil in appraisal well 7122/8-2 S in the Barents Sea.
The well was drilled to delineate the “Countach” discovery near the Goliat field.
After the appraisal well, the preliminary estimate of the size of the discovery is between 1.6 and 8.3 million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalent. This corresponds to 10-52 million barrels.
The appraisal well was drilled by the Cosl Prospector in the same production licence as Goliat. This was the tenth exploration well in this licence.
The licensees are considering tying the discovery back to existing infrastructure on Goliat.
“Countach” (7122/8-1 S) was proven in 2023.
Production licence 229 was awarded in 1997, in the Barents Sea Project 97, which was a supplementary round for the Barents Sea.
Vår Energi is active in the area surrounding Goliat, and is continuing to explore in production licences 229 and 1131.
Geological information
The discovery was proven in 2022 in Lower Jurassic and Middle Triassic reservoir rocks. Prior to the drilling of well 7122/8-2 S, the operator’s resource estimate for the discovery was 1.3-4.8 million Sm3 of recoverable oil equivalent.
The objective of the well was to delineate the 7122/8-1 S (Countach) discovery in Lower Jurassic and Middle Triassic reservoir rocks in the Realgrunnen Subgroup and the Kobbe Formation, respectively.
Well 7122/8-2 S encountered a 35-metre oil column in the upper part of the Kobbe Formation in sandstone layers totalling 19 metres with good reservoir quality. The oil/water contact was not proven. Sandstone layers totalling 27 metres in the middle and lower part of the Kobbe Formation were aquiferous.
The reservoir in the Realgrunnen Subgroup had very good to good reservoir quality and a total thickness of 5 metres, but was water-filled.
An oil column totalling 217 metres was also proven in the Klappmyss Formation, in thin sandstone layers with moderate to poor reservoir quality. Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery in Klappmyss at 0.3-0.8 million Sm3 of recoverable oil equivalent.
The well was not formation-tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out.
Appraisal well 7122/8-2 S was drilled to respective vertical and measured depths of 3120 metres and 3209 metres below sea level, and was terminated in the Havert Formation in the Lower Triassic.
Water depth at the site is 406 metres. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned.