Wellesley-led partnership assesses hydraulic fracturing for North Sea Carmen development
Wellesley Petroleum’s latest well on the Carmen discovery in the Norwegian North Sea has confirmed commercial volumes of gas-condensate.
The Deepsea Yantai semisubmersible rig drilled appraisal well 35/10-16 S, which is located 25 km northwest of the Troll Field and 35 km east of the Kvitebjørn Field and sits in 365 m of water. Initial analysis suggests 21 MMboe to 107 MMboe recoverable, according to the Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD).
It was also the third well on production license 1148, awarded in 2022 under the APA 2021 round. The other partners are DNO, Equinor and Aker BP.
The licensees will consider options for a tieback development to infrastructure in the area, and they may also sanction further wildcat wells.
The original discovery wells drilled in 2023 penetrated hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir rocks in the Ness, Etive and Oseberg formations from the Middle Jurassic as well as in the Cook Formation from the Early Jurassic.
Well 35/10-16 S A encountered gas-condensate in the same formations, mostly in the Etive, but with reservoir rocks of variable quality.
Having plugged and abandoned the well, Deepsea Yantai will next drill appraisal well 35/7-2 on the Afrodite discovery in PL 293.
DNO reported the partnership will assess the potential for hydraulic fracturing to enhance recovery from Carmen, adding that follow-on appraisal and exploration targets include the northern part of the laterally extensive structure.
"Tight reservoirs can be unlocked by fracking, a technique that has opened vast new oil and gas plays in the United States, but which is largely untested offshore Norway. We now know what is doable, so the industry should get cracking fracking and watch discoveries like Carmen sing.”
—DNO Executive Chairman Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani
In DNO’s view, the Kvitebjørn platform is a strong candidate to serve as host for the development—likewise Afrodite (DNO, 19%), again viewed as a candidate for hydraulic fracturing.
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About the Author
Jeremy Beckman
Editor, Europe
Jeremy Beckman has been Editor Europe, Offshore since 1992. Prior to joining Offshore he was a freelance journalist for eight years, working for a variety of electronics, computing and scientific journals in the UK. He regularly writes news columns on trends and events both in the NW Europe offshore region and globally. He also writes features on developments and technology in exploration and production.