StatoilHydro proves gas on Pan/Pandora prospect

Offshore staff

STAVANGER -- A wildcat well targeting the StatoilHydro-operated Pan/Pandora prospect south of the Visund field has proved gas and oil in the upper sections of the Brent group, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD).

The well proved a 35-m (115-ft) gas column above a 25-m (82-ft) oil column. Extensive data collection and sampling have been conducted.

TheBorgland Dolphin drilled the well to a vertical depth of 3,077 m (10,095 ft) below the sea surface. The well was concluded in the Drake formation in the Lower Jurassic. Water depth at the site is 292 m (958 ft).

The rig will now drill a sidetrack, 34/8-14 A, to the northern segment of the Pan/Pandora prospect to delineate the discovery towards the north, and to provide a better basis for evaluating the resource potential, according to StatoilHydro.

10/22/2008