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

Drilling permit for wellbore 30/11-16 S
15/04/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Aker BP ASA drilling permit for wellbore 30/11-16 S in production licence 873, cf. Section 13 of the Resource Management Regulations.
An APA overview
09/04/2025 Through APA the industry has gained regular access to new acreage on the Norwegian continental shelf. Today, this includes nearly all the acreage that has been opened for petroleum activity.
Technology Day programme announced
08/04/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate’s Technology Day will be held on 5 June. There are still some slots available!
Another sulphide deposit, “Gygra”, discovered on the NCS
02/04/2025 The Centre for Deep Sea Research at the University of Bergen (UiB) and the Norwegian Offshore Directorate have discovered a new sulphide location on the Knipovich Ridge, west of Svalbard.
New organisation at the Norwegian Offshore Directorate
01/04/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate is implementing a new organisation.
Oil and gas discovery in the North Sea (35/10-15 S and A)
28/03/2025 DNO and its partners have made an oil and gas discovery in the "Kjøttkake" prospect.
Dry well in the Norwegian Sea (6507/2-8)
27/03/2025 Aker BP ASA and its partners have completed drilling on the “Kongeørn” prospect in the Norwegian Sea, 240 kilometres west of Sandnessjøen.
Drilling permit for wellbore 25/11-30 S
27/03/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 25/11-30 S in production licence 169, cf. Section 13 of the Resource Management Regulations.
Dry well in the North Sea (35/6-6)
26/03/2025 OMV and its partners have drilled a dry well on the “Horatio” prospect in the North Sea.
Production figures Febuary 2025
20/03/2025 Preliminary production figures for February 2025 show an average daily production of 1 938 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate.