Small gas discovery near the Bøyla field in the North Sea - 24/9-13 and 24/9-13 A

The wells were drilled about 6 kilometres southwest of the Bøyla field, and about 230 kilometres west of Stavanger.

The objective of wildcat well 24/9-13 was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks (sand injectites) in the Eocene. The objective of appraisal well 24/9-13 A was to prove petroleum/water contacts.

Well 24/9-13 encountered a gas column of about 3 meters in the Hordaland group, whereof a total of 2 metres of sandstone with mainly good reservoir quality. Several sandstone layers with mainly good reservoir quality were also encountered, totalling 17 metres in the Balder formation. These showed traces of petroleum.

The sandstones are interpreted as being remobilised sand from the Heimdal and Hermod formation, and injected into overlying stratigraphy in the Rogaland and Hordaland group.

Appraisal well 24/9-13 A encountered a gas column of about 40 metres in injectite zones, of which a total of 7 metres of sandstone with good to very good reservoir quality. The sandstones are interpreted as being injected sands in the Hordaland group, as in well 24/9-13.

Petroleum/water contacts were not encountered in any of the wells, but the wells overall proved a gas column of minimum 77 metres.

Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery between 0.6 and 1.7 million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalents. The licensees will assess the well results for further delineation of the discovery.

The wells were not formation-tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been conducted.

These are the third and fourth exploration wells in production licence 869, which was awarded in APA 2016.

24/9-13 was drilled to a vertical depth of 2272 metres below the sea surface. 24/9-13 A was drilled to respective vertical and measured depths of 2240 metres and 3433 metres below the sea surface. Both wells were terminated in the Heimdal formation in the Palaeocene.

Water depth at the site is 118 metres. The wells have been permanently plugged and abandoned.

Wells 24/9-13 and 24/9-13 A were drilled by the Deepsea Nordkapp drilling facility, which will now drill a production well on the Skogul field in production licence 460, where Aker BP ASA is the operator.