Equinor and Orlen have made a gas and condensate discovery in the Norwegian North Sea’s Sissel prospect, identified through exploration well 15/8-3 S within production licence (PL) 1137.
The discovery lies around 5km south-east of the Equinor-operated Utgard field and 250km south-west of Stavanger. Utgard, which was discovered in 1982, has been in production since September 2019.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Odfjell Drilling’s Deepsea Atlantic rig facilitated drilling operations at the Sissel prospect.
Preliminary estimates suggest that the Sissel discovery contains 1–4.5 million standard cubic metres (mscm) of recoverable oil equivalent, translating to approximately 6.3–28.3 million barrels.
The primary objective of the well was to confirm the presence of petroleum within Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks in the Hugin Formation’s upper section (Vestland Group).
A secondary target involved verifying petroleum in the Middle Jurassic rocks of the formation’s lower section.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataWell 15/8-3 S discovered condensate-rich gas within sandstone layers in the Hugin Formation’s upper part, achieving an overall thickness of 148m, with 57m composed of sandstone layers exhibiting moderate-to-good reservoir quality.
It established the existence of a hydrocarbon column approximately 95m thick, although the gas/water contact was not detected.
The secondary objective in the formation’s lower section revealed aquiferous conditions with poor reservoir quality over a thickness of 53m.
Although formation testing was not conducted, significant data and sample collection occurred.
The drilling reached a vertical depth of 4,282m below sea level and a measured depth of 4,359m, terminating in the Middle Jurassic Rattray Formation.
The water depth at this site is 110m, and the well has been permanently plugged and abandoned.
Equinor and Orlen are considering the potential for development by linking this discovery to existing infrastructure nearby.
According to the Norwegian Offshore Directorate, production licence 1137, granted in March 2022 as part of the 2021 Awards in Predefined Areas, saw its first exploration well drilled with well 15/8-3 S.
PL 1137 remains valid until 11 March 2028.
Equinor holds a 50% share, while Orlen has the remaining 50%.
Last month, Equinor and its partners announced the discovery of oil, condensate and gas at the Tyrihans Øst prospect, situated approximately 250km south-west of Brønnøysund in the Norwegian Sea. This find was achieved with exploration well 6407/1-B-2 H, marking the inaugural drilling effort within PL 1121.
Earlier this week, Equinor made an oil discovery at the Othello South prospect near the Heidrun field in the Norwegian Sea.
