Confirmed the size of “Ofelia” and made new gas discovery

deepsea-yantai-odfjell-drilling.jpg

The drilling was carried out by the Deepsea Yantai rig.

15/12/2023 Drilling of the appraisal well on the “Ofelia” discovery in the North Sea confirmed already proven volumes in the main reservoir. The operator, Neptune, also drilled a sidetrack that led to a gas discovery.

Well 35/6-4 S in production licence 929 confirmed the oil and gas volumes in “Ofelia”. The 35/6-4 A sidetrack resulted in a new gas discovery. Preliminary estimates place the size of the new discovery between 1.8-3 billion standard cubic meters (Sm3) of recoverable gas.

The total size of both discoveries is estimated at between 4.3-8.3 million Sm3 of recoverable oil equivalent (27-52 million barrels). The discoveries are located near the Gjøa field, also operated by Neptune. The licence is considering connecting the discoveries to existing infrastructure on Gjøa.

This is the third time Neptune has made a discovery in Cretaceous reservoir rocks in this area, and this can contribute to increased production from the Gjøa platform.

Production licence 929 was awarded in the Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) in 2018.

Geological information

The 35/6-3 S (Ofelia) discovery was proven in Lower Cretaceous reservoir rocks in the Agat Formation in 2022. Prior to the drilling of appraisal well 35/6-4 S, the operator’s resource estimate for the discovery was between 2.5-6.2 million Sm3 of recoverable oil equivalent.

The objective of well 35/6-4 S was to delineate the 35/6-3 S discovery in Lower Cretaceous reservoir rocks in the Agat Formation.
The objective of well 35/6-4 A was to prove petroleum in Upper Cretaceous reservoir rocks in the Kyrre Formation.

Well 35/6-4 S encountered a thin gas column and a 35-metre oil column in the Agat Formation in sandstone reservoirs of about 25 metres with moderate to good reservoir quality. The oil/water contact was not encountered.
Well 35/6-4 A encountered a 32-metre gas column in the Kyrre Formation, distributed between three sandstone layers totalling 30 metres with extremely good to very good reservoir quality. A gas/water contact was encountered in the lowermost sand, 1905 metres below sea level.

The wells were not formation-tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling were carried out.

Appraisal well 35/6-4 S was drilled to a vertical depth of 2695 metres and a measured depth of 3167 metres below sea level, and was terminated in basement rock. Appraisal well 35/6-4 A was drilled to a vertical depth of 1964 metres and a measured depth of 2352 metres below sea level, and was terminated in the Kyrre Formation in the Upper Cretaceous.

Water depth at the site is 331 metres. The wells have been plugged and abandoned.

Map  showing the location of wells 35/6/4- S and 35/6-4 A

Contact

Ola Anders Skauby

Director Communication, public affairs and emergency response

Tel: +47 905 98 519

Updated: 21/12/2023

Latest news

Gas discovery in the Barents Sea (7122/9-2)
17/01/2025 Vår Energi ASA and its partners found gas in the “Elgol” prospect; however, preliminary estimates indicate that the discovery is not profitable given current price assumptions.
20 companies offered ownership interests
14/01/2025 In the 2024 awards in pre-defined areas (APA), 20 companies have been offered ownership interests in a total of 53 production licences on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).
Dry well in the North Sea (24/12-8 S)
14/01/2025 Aker BP and its partner Concedo drilled the dry well 24/12-8 S near the Bøyla field in the North Sea.
Record-high gas production in 2024
09/01/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate's summary of activity on the Norwegian continental shelf in 2024 shows that gas production is higher than ever.
Drilling permit for wellbore 35/10-15 S
08/01/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted DNO Norge AS drilling permit for wellbore 35/10-15 S in production licence 1182 S, cf. Section 13 of the Resource Management Regulations.
Drilling permit for wellbore 6507/2-8
08/01/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Aker BP ASA drilling permit for wellbore 6507/2-8 in production licence 942, cf. Section 13 of the Resource Management Regulations.
Dry wells in the North Sea (35/10-14 S and A)
23/12/2024 Equinor and its partners have drilled two dry wells (“Kvernbit/Mimung”) in the North Sea.
Drilling permit for wellbore 7/1-3
23/12/2024 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Vår Energi ASA drilling permit for wellbore7/1-3 in production licence 1090, cf. Section 13 of the Resource Management Regulations.
Production figures November 2024
20/12/2024 Preliminary production figures for November 2024 show an average daily production of 1 975 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate.
What would you like to learn more about at Technology Day 2025?
20/12/2024 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate is hosting a Technology Day on 5 June 2025 in Stavanger – and now you can nominate suggested lectures for the event.