Offshore staff
STAVANGER, Norway -- StatoilHydro Petroleum has hit gas pay with wildcat well 30/5-3 S in the North Sea.
The primary exploration target for the well was to prove petroleum in Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Statfjord formation). The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Brent Group). The results from the well show that the Statfjord formation and the Brent Group were not present, the company reports.
Gas was proven in Upper Triassic reservoir rocks belonging to the Hegre Group. The gas-bearing zone is approximately 550 m (1,804 ft) thick, and contains several layers of sandstone divided by layers of shale. The company will be collecting additional data in order to establish the size of the discovery.
The well was not formation-tested, but extensive data collection and sampling have been carried out, the company says.
The licensees in the production license will consider producing the proven resources from one of the permanent facilities in the Oseberg area should further delimitation show that the discovery is commercially viable.
The semisubmersibleTransocean Winner drilled the well to a vertical depth of 3,830 m (12,566 ft) below sea level, and ended in fine-grained rocks, probably of the Late Triassic age in the lower part of the Lunde formation, the company says.
The lower parts of the well have been permanently plugged and abandoned, and the rig has started drilling the appraisal well 30/5-3 A from the upper parts of the wellbore to explore another part of the prospect in the same production license.
04/23/2009
