Offshore staff
COPENHAGEN -- DONG E&P has discovered oil in the Sara prospect in the westernmost part of the Danish North Sea.
The jackup Maersk Resolute spud the Sara-1 well on License 6/95 on December 18. According to the Danish Energy Agency (DEA), oil was encountered in Palaeocene-age sandstone.
Sara-1 was drilled as a deviated well, reaching TD in chalk at 2,075 m (6,808 ft) below mean sea level. To further appraise the extent and quality of the discovery, a side-track was then drilled to a point around 1.5 km (0.9 mi) from the main well. Coring and comprehensive measurements were performed and fluid samples taken during this operation.
DONG will evaluate the results and consider the additional work needed to determine whether the oil can be produced commercially. DEA says Sara-1 was drilled as a sole-risk well, as not all of the partners wanted to participate (the other licensees are Altinex Oil and Siri (UK) Limited Noreco).
After plugging and abandoning the well, the rig will transfer to the DONG-operated Nini field for development drilling.
Elsewhere in the Danish sector, DONG, a participant in license 4/95, has applied for a licence covering neighboring acreage.
According to DEA, the application area is in a part of the North Sea where there has been minimal exploration activity over the past few years. No other licenses adjoin this area aside from 4/95.
The Danish Minister for Climate and Energy has initiated a `neighboring block procedure’ in order to issue a license for exploration and production of hydrocarbons in this area.
Denmark’s Subsoil Act allows a permit to be granted for acreage adjoining an existing license where warranted by geological or production considerations. The neighboring block procedure comes into effect if these conditions are fulfilled.
01/28/2011
