Aker BP Makes New North Sea Gas Discovery
This article was first published on Rigzone here
Aker BP ASA discovered natural gas with preliminary estimates of 0.15-2.4 million cubic meters (5.3-84.8 million cubic feet) on Norway's side of the North Sea, 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) north of the producing Duva field.
The estimated volumes correspond to one to 15 million barrels of oil equivalent. "The licensees will assess the well results to determine whether the discovery is economically profitable, as well as potential further delineation of the discovery", the Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD) said Wednesday.
The "Alpehumle" prospect, or well 36/4-2, is the first exploration well drilled in production license (PL) 1153, awarded 2021, the upstream regulator said.
"Well 36/4-2 encountered a 10-meter gas column in the Agat Formation, 10 meters of which were in sandstone layers with very good reservoir quality", the NOD said. "The hydrocarbon/water contact was not proven".
A sidetrack, well 36/4-2 A, "encountered four meters of sandstone of very good reservoir quality in the Agat Formation. The reservoir was aquiferous", the NOD added.
Well 36/4-2, drilled to a vertical depth of 2,250 meters below sea level and terminated in basement rock, and well 36/4-2 A, drilled to a vertical depth of 2,320 meters below sea level and terminated in an unidentified formation, will be permanently plugged.
Drilling was performed by the semi-submersible Scarabeo 8 rig, owned by Italy's Saipem SpA, in a site with a water depth of 255 meters, according to the NOD.
Aker BP, majority owned by Norway's Aker ASA and Britain's BP PLC, operates PL 1153 with a 40 percent stake. Japan's INPEX Corp owns 30 percent, local player OKEA ASA holds 20 percent and Britain's Harbour Energy PLC has 10 percent.
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Under its "rebel revolution" strategy, Aker BP aims to "make marginal resources profitable by increasing speed and reducing costs - not just a little but significantly".
Recently, however, it launched a partnership with Vår Energi ASA and majority state-owned Equinor ASA to explore the largest remaining reserves in Norwegian waters to sustain production as existing developments become depleted.
The partnership aims to test 20-25 exploration "opportunities" over the next four to five years, with an annual drilling target of about five "high-impact" wells, said a joint statement August 24.
"The companies have agreed to combine expertise, data, technology and exploration capacity to pursue selected high-impact exploration opportunities", the trio said.
"In recent years, most discoveries have been made close to existing infrastructure. Developing these resources through subsea tiebacks is important for maintaining production from existing fields and facilities. Near-field exploration will remain crucial, but larger discoveries will also be needed to provide the resource base for new standalone field developments", they said.
"The companies see continued potential for such discoveries. However, some of the largest remaining opportunities come with higher geological uncertainty, greater complexity and larger investment requirements. This has made it increasingly challenging to establish partnerships around high-impact prospects.
"By sharing risk and combining capabilities, the companies can pursue and test more of these opportunities than they would individually".
To contact the author, email jov.onsat@rigzone.com
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