Equinor and its partners have struck oil at the Isflak exploration prospect in the Barents Sea, the Norwegian major said in a news release March 10.

The company placed recoverable resources at between an estimated 31 to 50 million barrels of recoverable oil.

“This discovery strengthens our belief in the opportunities that exist, not least around the Castberg, Wisting, Snøhvit and Goliat areas,” Nick Ashton, Equinor’s senior vice president for exploration in Norway, said in the release.

Drilled by semisubmersible Transocean Enabler about 10 km southwest of well 7220/8-1 on the Johan Castberg Field, exploration well 7220/7-4 hit 109 m of oil in the Stø and Nordmela formations. The well, which has now been permanently plugged and abandoned, was drilled to a vertical depth of 2080 m below sea level and completed in the Tubåen formation from the Early Jurassic period in 351 m of water, Equinor said.

The company said the well was not formation tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling took place.

The well is located in production license 532. Equinor’s partners are Petoro, which holds a 20% stake; and Eni and HitecVision’s jointly owned Vår Energi, which holds a 30% stake.

Eni said the discovery will be linked to the Johan Castberg development hub.

Offshore