Aker BP and its partners Equinor and DNO have increased the projected size of the Verdandi and Lillefix discoveries in the Norwegian North Sea following an appraisal well drilled from the Symra field subsea template.
Before drilling the appraisal well, the companies put the volumes at between 600,000 and 1.9 million standard cubic metres (mscm) of oil equivalent, or 4–12 million barrels (mbbl).
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Preliminary calculations carried out after drilling widen that range to 1.3–2.4mscm of oil equivalent, equivalent to 8–15mbbl.
The partners are now examining whether the find would be profitable and if it could be tied back to the Symra field.
Odfjell Drilling’s Deepsea Nordkapp rig drilled well 16/1-EA-4 H as a horizontal appraisal wellbore from the Symra field’s subsea template, roughly 200km west of Stavanger.
It was the 11th exploration well in production licence 167, which was awarded in the 13th licensing round.
The well aimed to prove the presence of Palaeocene reservoir rocks in the Heimdal Formation, and to establish the extent of the reservoir and the presumed oil-water contact.
Drilling encountered a 14m gas column and a 44m oil column in sandstone layers within the Heimdal Formation. The gas-oil contact was met at 1,776m below sea level.
In total, 1,515 reservoir metres were drilled horizontally through the oil zone, where reservoir quality was described as moderate. Data acquisition included fluid samples and pressure points.
The well reached a vertical depth of 1,864m below sea level and terminated in the Heimdal Formation from the Palaeocene. Water depth at the site is 116m.
The well has since been permanently plugged and abandoned.
Symra sits in the central North Sea, 5km north-east of the Ivar Aasen field, in 110m of water. The field consists of several segments.
It was discovered in 2018, and the plan for development and operation was approved in 2023.
The chosen development concept covers a subsea template with four wells tied back to the Ivar Aasen platform.
