Sokkeldirektoratet

Minor oil discovery in the Norwegian Sea - 6611/1-1

11/26/2019 Wintershall Dea Norge AS, operator of production licence 896, has concluded the drilling of wildcat well 6611/1-1.

The well was drilled in the northern part of the Norwegian Sea, about 150 kilometres northeast of the Norne field and about 150 kilometres southwest of Bodø.

The objective of the well was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks from the Early Jurassic Age (the Tilje and Åre Formations).

The well encountered about seven metres of oil-bearing sandstone in the upper part of the assumed Jurassic sequence. The sandstone, which has not yet been dated, has moderate to good reservoir quality.

The well encountered a total of about 200 metres of sandstones in what are thought to be the exploration targets in the Tilje and Åre Formations, with moderate to good reservoir quality. The sandstones are water-bearing.

Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery at less than 1 million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil. The discovery is not considered to be profitable.

The well was not formation-tested, but data has been collected and samples have been taken.

The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 1874 metres below sea level, and it was terminated in rocks from the Triassic Age.

This is the first exploration well in production licence 896. The licence was awarded in APA 2016. Water depth at the site is 357 metres.

The well has now been permanently plugged and abandoned.

Well 6611/1-1 was drilled by the West Hercules drilling facility. The rig will now drill well 31/5-7 in exploitation licence 001 where Equinor Energy AS is the operator.

Map showing well 6611-1-1 in production licence 896.

Contact
postboks@sodir.no

Tel: +47 51 87 60 00

Updated: 2/10/2025

Latest news

Dry well in the North Sea (2/6-8 S and 2/6-8 ST2)
11/18/2025 DNO and its partners have drilled a dry well in the "Page" prospect in the southern part of the North Sea, about 270 kilometres from Stavanger and 40 kilometres from Ekofisk.
What would you like to learn more about at Technology Day 2026?
11/17/2025 The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate is pleased to announce Technology Day 2026. Save the date – 4 June 2026 – and take this opportunity to nominate speakers for the event!
New Dashboard: Resource stats by company
11/14/2025 Our new Dashboard provides an overview of the licensees’ respective petroleum resources and reserves on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).
Delineation of the “Zagato” oil discovery in the Barents Sea – 7122/8-4 S
11/13/2025 Vår Energi's appraisal well 7122/8-4 S confirms the 7122/8-3 S (“Zagato”) oil discovery, which was proven in February.
New technology is profitable when shutting down wells
11/13/2025 About 2900 wellbores on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) will be plugged and shut down in the years to come, but development and implementation of new technology can save the industry and society considerable costs.
Dry well in the North Sea (34/6-9 S)
11/11/2025 Equinor and its partners have drilled a dry well in the Snorre area in the North Sea.
Dry well in the North Sea (30/11-16 S)
11/7/2025 Aker BP and its partners have drilled a dry well in the Yggdrasil area in the North Sea.
Drilling permit for wellbore 7220/7-5
11/7/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 7220/7-5 in production licence 532.
New CCS guidelines
11/3/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has drawn up guidelines explaining how to fulfil the requirements in Section 26 of the Regulations relating to documentation in connection with storage of CO2 on the Norwegian continental shelf.
New report about power from shore
10/29/2025 Power from shore as replacement for gas turbines has been the most important abatement to reduce greenhouse gases emissions offshore.