Sokkeldirektoratet

Oil and gas discovery southwest of the Norne field in the Norwegian Sea – 6507/3-13

6/17/2019 Equinor Energy AS, operator of production licence 159 B, has completed the drilling of wildcat well 6507/3-13.

The well was drilled about 14 kilometres southwest of the Norne field in the northern part of the Norwegian Sea and 200 kilometres west of Sandnessjøen.

The primary exploration target for the well was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks from the Late Cretaceous Age (the Lysing formation). The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks from the Early Cretaceous Age (the Lange formation). The plan also included drilling an appraisal well, 6507/3-13 A, to delineate potential discoveries in the exploration targets in the Lysing and Lange formations.

Well 6507/3-13 encountered the Lysing formation of about 25 metres, with a gas column of about 5 metres and with variation from poor to good reservoir quality. In the Lange formation, oil and gas were encountered in sandstone layers of about 25 metres, of which 14 metres net sandstone with moderate reservoir properties.

Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery in the Lysing formation at between 0.3 and 2.0 million standard cubic metres (Sm³) of recoverable oil equivalents and between 0.1 and 8 million standard cubic metres (Sm³) of recoverable oil equivalents in the Lange formation.

The drilling of well 6507/3-13-A to delineate the discovery in the Lange formation was interrupted due to technical problems. For this reason, there is considerable uncertainty regarding the recoverable volumes in the Lange formation. The licensees will assess further delineation of the discovery with regard to a potential development.

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

The well is the fourth exploration well in production licence 159B, which was awarded in licensing round 12-B in 1989.

The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 3380 metres below the sea surface, and it was terminated in the Lyr formation from the Early Cretaceous Age. Water depth at the site is 368 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned.

Well 6507/3-13 was drilled by the Transocean Spitsbergen drilling facility, which will now drill wildcat well 16/5-7 in production licence 502 in the North Sea, where Equinor Energy AS is the operator.

Map of well 6507-3-13-13-A

 

Contact
postboks@sodir.no

Tel: +47 51 87 60 00

Updated: 2/10/2025

Latest news

Who deserves the Improved Recovery Award?
11/25/2025 The time has come to nominate candidates for this prize, which was first awarded in 1998. Back then it was known as the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate’s IOR Award.
Production figures October 2025
11/20/2025 Preliminary production figures for October 2025 show an average daily production of 2 017 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate.
Drilling permit for well 33/12-N-3 GH and 33/12-N-3 HH
11/20/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 33/12-N-3 GH in production licence 037 B/152 and 33/12-N-3 HH in production licence 037 B/277.
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.