Statoil Petroleum AS have made a gas discovery at the wildcat well 6607/12-3 located about 15 km (9 miles) northwest of the Norne field, the company announced.

Statoil is the operator of production license 385 and is in the process of concluding the drilling of the well.

The purpose of the well was to prove petroleum is in Middle to Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks in the Fangst and Båt group.

The well encountered gas in the Fangst and Båt group. The reservoir quality was poorer than expected. In addition, gas was encountered in a thin sandstone with uncertain reservoir development in the Cretaceous, in the Cromer Knoll group.

Preliminary estimates indicate that the discovery is not commercial. However, evaluation and analyses will be carried out to clarify the resource potential of the discovery.

The well was not formation-tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out.

This is the first exploration well in production license 385. The license was awarded in APA 2005.

The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 4,288 m (14,068 ft) below the sea surface and was terminated in the Åre formation from the Early Jurassic Age. Water depth at the site is 363 m (1191 ft). The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned.

Well 6607/12-3 was drilled by the West Alpha drilling facility, which will now proceed to production license 386 in the Norwegian Sea to drill wildcat well 6610/10-1, where Statoil Petroleum AS is the operator.

Offshore