Well Slot: Who’s drilling in the UK North Sea and Norway?

Well Slot is a monthly feature from Energy Voice and Westwood Global looking at drilling activity and rig moves in the UK North Sea and Norway.

UKCS

As of 30 May, Westwood Global Energy reports that there is one appraisal well and two exploration wells active on the UKCS.

The appraisal well is in the SNS at Crosgan and the exploration wells are in the NNS at Alwyn East and WoS at Benriach. Since the previous report, the Ben Lawers well has completed in the WoS and the appraisal well at Golden Eagle North Punt Channel in the CNS is completing as a producer.

West of Shetland

© Supplied by Diamond Offshore

The BP-operated 204/23a-3 Ben Lawers exploration well was completed c. 17 May, having spudded on 28 March with the Ocean GreatWhite semi-sub. The target was Paleocene T31 Vaila Formation sandstones in an amplitude driven play, in a combination trap. Pre-drill resources were c. 70 mmboe. On 12 April, an NSTA update showed Shell had farmed into the licence for a 33.33% interest. BP said the well completed with no discovery.

The TotalEnergies-operated 206/5c-4 Benriach exploration well spudded on 21 March with the Transocean Barents semi-sub. The well is targeting amplitude supported, Lower Cretaceous Royal Sovereign Formation sandstones in a combination trap, with three-way dip closure and pinchout onto a rafted Jurassic – Triassic block. Kistos has quoted pre-drill P50 resources of 638 bcf (106.3 mmboe).

Northern North Sea

The 3/9a-N59 Alwyn East well, operated by TotalEnergies, was spudded on 16 January 2023 as an extended reach well from the Alwyn North platform. The reservoir target is Middle Jurassic Brent Group sandstones in a rotated fault terrace. The well is classed as high temperature (HT) not high pressure (HP). Pre-drill P10 resources are c. 26 mmboe.

Central North Sea

The CNOOC-operated 14/26a-N4, Z, Y, X well was completed on 8 May 2023, after being spudded on 8 September 2022 from the Golden Eagle Northern Drill Centre with the COSLInnovator semi-sub. The wells were appraising the Punt Sandstone Member. The initial 14/26a-N4 appraisal well, targeting the northern part of the Golden Eagle Punt Member Channel, is understood to have failed to find reservoir. The 14/26a-N4Z and 14/26a-N4Y sidetracked appraisal wells, kicked off on 1 November 2022 and 8 January 2023, respectively, were J&A. The 14/26a-N4X appraisal sidetrack, kicked off on 26 February, successfully encountered hydrocarbons. The well is currently completing as a producer to be brought online soon.

Southern North Sea

The ONE-Dyas-operated 42/15a-4 Crosgan appraisal well spudded on 24 March with the Valaris 123 rig. It is a firm licence commitment well appraising the Zechstein discovery made by well 42/15a-2 in 1990 which tested the Hauptdolomit Z2 sequence at 7.6 mmscfpd post-acidisation. The well will also target the Carboniferous, Whitby Sandstone Member.

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Norway Well Slot

© Supplied by Odjfell Drilling

 

As of 30 May, Westwood Global Energy reports that there is one appraisal and three exploration wells active on the NCS.

The appraisal well is in the Northern North Sea at Øst Frigg Beta/Epsilon was announced as an oil discovery and is completing. Three exploration wells are drilling in the Northern North Sea at Carmen, Litago and Oseberg Lambda. Since the last report, two exploration well programs completed, with Tott West in the Norwegian Sea as a gas condensate discovery and Eggen in the Northern North Sea, with no results announced to date. Three exploration well programs spudded at Litago, Eggen and Oseberg Lambda.

North Sea

© Supplied by Odfjell Drilling

The 30/6-C-2 A Oseberg Lambda well, operated by Equinor, was spudded on 19 May from the existing Oseberg C platform. The deviated well will test Statfjord Formation reservoir in the Lambda tilted fault block.

The Equinor-operated 31/2-23 Eggen well was completed on 22 May, after being spudded on 9 May with the Deepsea Stavanger semi-sub. The well targeted the Upper and Middle Jurassic in a downthrown fault block. JV partner DNO holds pre-drill resources of 15 – 100 mmboe. No results have been announced.

The 31/2-24 Litago well, operated by Equinor, was spudded on 7 May with the Deepsea Stavanger semi-sub. The well is targeting the Upper and Middle Jurassic in a downthrown fault block. JV partner DNO holds pre-drill mean resources of 25 – 195 mmboe.

The Wellesley-operated 35/10-10 S Carmen well was spudded on 4 April with the Deepsea Yantai semi-sub. The well is targeting a high impact, HPHT play in the Middle and Lower Jurassic. The operator quoted pre-drill mean resources of 109 mmboe.

The 25/2-24 S, A, C, B, Øst Frigg Beta/Epsilon well, operated by Aker BP, is in the process of completing as an oil discovery, after being spudded on 1 March with the Scarabeo 8. Three horizontal sidetracks tested the Beta West, Alfa South and Epsilon Eocene injectite targets. Aker BP announced the well as an oil discovery with gross recoverable volumes of 40 – 90 mmboe. The discoveries will be tied back to the Yggdrasil development.

Norwegian Sea

The Equinor-operated 6406/5-2 S Tott West well was completed on 1 May, after being spudded on 10 March with the Deepsea Stavanger semi-sub. The well was targeting the Middle and Lower Jurassic in a tilted fault block structure. A 24m (79ft) gas condensate column was encountered within a 60m (197ft) thick Middle Jurassic Garn Formation.

Water bearing sandstones, 102m (335ft) and 140m (459ft) thick, were encountered in the Middle Jurassic Ile Formation and Lower Jurassic Tofte Formations respectively. Westwood currently hold the well as non-commercial.