Aker BP and Equinor have concluded drilling operations at the Svarteknippa site in the Norwegian North Sea, without discovering any hydrocarbons.
The well, designated as 15/6-17, was drilled 15km west of the Aker BP-operated Solveig field and 220km west of Stavanger.
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This marks the first exploration well to be drilled within production licence (PL) 979, which was awarded as part of the Awards in Pre-defined Areas (APA) in 2018.
The operation used the Scarabeo 8 drilling rig and targeted potential hydrocarbons in the Middle Jurassic Hugin and Sleipner formations.
A secondary target was set to test reservoir presence and hydrocarbons in the Draupne and Heather formations.
According to geological data from the operation, the well encountered the Vestland Group near the primary target with a total thickness of 97m. This includes 8m of sandstone described as having moderate to poor reservoir quality.
Only weak indications of hydrocarbons were present.
As for the secondary target, the drilling penetrated through 191m of the Draupne Formation and 104m of the Heather Formation without confirming the presence of reservoir rocks.
The well reached a vertical depth of 3,704m below sea level and was terminated in the Triassic-age Smith Bank Formation. Water depth at the site was reported as 102m.
Data collection included securing a 54m-long core sample in the Vestland Group.
The well has since been permanently plugged and abandoned.
Aker BP holds 60% interest in the licence while Equinor owns the remaining 40%.
The area, known as mature, has seen exploration in recent years largely focused on minor discoveries near established infrastructure.
The Solveig field, which lies 15km south of the Edvard Grieg field, began production in 2021 after a plan for development and operation was approved in 2019.
Last month, Equinor along with its partners, discovered oil at the Skrugard North Tubåen prospect approximately 6km north of the 7220/8-1 discovery well in the Johan Castberg field in the Barents Sea.
