Statoil has encountered oil at the 16 / 2 8 well drilled on production licence (PL) 265 in the Aldous Major South prospect, North Sea.
The well, which contained a 65m oil column in Jurassic sandstone, was drilled using the Transocean Leader drilling rig.
Preliminary volumes from the drill test are estimated to be between 200 million and 400 million barrels of oil equivalent and the company expects additional resources in the licence both north and south of the discovery.
The 16 / 2-8 well indicated the same oil-water contact as in the Avaldsnes well, which shows the likeliness of communication between the two structures.
After completing drilling operations at Aldous South, the rig will be moved to drill the Aldous Major North well and the company has already secured rig capacity to drill two appraisal wells on PL 265 next year.
PL 265 is operated by Statoil, which holds a 40% interest, along with Det Norske Oljeselskap with 20% and Lundin Petroleum with 10%.
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