Butch well delivers for Centrica in North Sea

Oct. 18, 2011
Centrica has discovered oil in the Butch prospect in the Norwegian North Sea.

Offshore staff

ABERDEEN, UK – Centrica has discovered oil in the Butch prospect in the Norwegian North Sea.

According to partner Faroe Petroleum, the 8/10-4S exploration well encountered net oil pay of roughly 50 m (164 ft) in the Upper Jurassic reservoir of the Ula formation.

Early indications from extensive coring, wireline logs and pressure data are of light oil in good-quality reservoir sands with a very high net-to-gross ratio.

Faroe adds that the entire reservoir section was oil bearing and an oil-water contact was not penetrated.

The partners have opted to immediately drill a down-dip side-track to appraise for additional volumes of oil farther down the large salt-induced structure, and to attempt to pinpoint the oil-water contact.

Butch is in 66 m (217 ft) water depth, 7 km (4.3 mi) east of the BP-operated Ula field infrastructure, with the Tambar facilities 10 km (6.2 mi) to the southwest and Gyda 20 km (12.4 mi) to the south.

Faroe is due to participate in two more Norwegian sector exploration wells this year – on T-Rex, due to spud at the end of this month, and on Kalvklumpen in November.

10/18/2011