Snohetta well serves up sand

Offshore staff

STAVANGER, Norway --StatoilHydro's first exploratory well in block 6609 on Norway's Nordland Ridge was a dry hole.

The semisubmersiblePolar Pioneer spudded the well in September in 330 m (1,083 t) of water, 100 m (62.14 mi) northwest of Norne in the Norwegian Sea. The well was designed to test the potential for hydrocarbons in the Snohetta prospect, both in Upper Cretaceous sandstones and in Eocene rocks in the Brygge formation.

After encountering only thin layers of sandstone in the potential reservoir zones, the well was terminated in Triassic rocks, 2,710 m (8,891 t) below sea level. The rig has since moved to the Barents Sea to drill the Askeladden Beta prospect for StatoilHydro in the Snøhvit area.

11/05/2007