Statoil makes deepwater gas discovery near Aasta Hansteen

March 18, 2015
Statoil and its partners have made a gas discovery in the Snefrid Nord prospect in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. 

Offshore staff

STAVANGER, Norway – Statoil and its partners have made a gas discovery in the Snefrid Nord prospect in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.

Drilled by theTransocean Spitsbergen semisubmersible, the discovery well 6706/12-2 proved a 105-m (344-ft) gas column in the Nise formation in PL218. Statoil estimates the volumes in the gas accumulation to be in the range of 31-57 MMboe. Snefrid Nord will be further evaluated for future tie-in to the Aasta Hansteen infrastructure.

Snefrid Nord is situated in the deepwater Voring area near the three gas discoveries, compromising theAasta Hansteen field development: Luva, Haklang, and Snefrid South. Production start-up of Aasta Hansteen is expected in 2017.

“The Snefrid Nord discovery increases the resource base for the Aasta Hansteen field development project by around 15%,” said Irene Rummelhoff, senior vice president exploration Norway in Statoil.

Statoil plans to drill two exploration wells in the vicinity of Aasta Hansteen this year with the aim of proving upside potential in the area. After completing the well, the semisub will move to the neighboring license PL602 and drill an exploratory well in theRoald Rygg prospect.

Statoil is operator with an interest of 51%. The partners are Wintershall Norge AS (24%), OMV (Norge) AS (15%), and ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS (10%).

03/18/2015