Oil and gas discovery near the Fram field in the North Sea

The primary exploration target for wildcat well 35/11-26 S was to prove petroleum in sandstone in the Heather Formation from the Late Jurassic and the Brent Group from the Middle Jurassic, as well as to investigate reservoir properties in the Cook Formation from the Early Jurassic.

The secondary exploration target was to collect reservoir data in the Lista Formation from the Palaeocene.

Well 35/11-26 S encountered a 7-metre gas column and a 26-metre oil column in the Heather Formation, in sandstone layers totalling 33 metres with moderate to good reservoir quality. The oil/water contact was not encountered.

The Brent Group and the Cook Formation were water-filled with moderate to good reservoir quality.

The secondary exploration target in the Lista Formation was not encountered.

Well 35/11-26 A encountered sandstones of moderate to good reservoir quality in the Heather Formation; the reservoir was aquiferous.

Oil and gas were also proven in shallower intra-Heather sandstones in both wells.

Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery between 1.5 and 5.5 million Sm3 of recoverable oil equivalent. The licensees will now assess the discovery in relation to existing infrastructure in the Fram area, along with other discoveries in the vicinity.

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

These are the 21st and 22nd exploration wells in production licence 090. The licence was awarded in the 8th licensing round in 1984.

Well 35/11-26 S was drilled to a vertical depth of 3409 metres and a measured depth of 3770 metres below sea level and was terminated in the Amundsen Formation from the Early Jurassic.

Well 35/11-26 A was drilled to a vertical depth of 3000 metres and a measured depth of 3421 metres below sea level and was terminated in the Heather Formation from the Late Jurassic.

Water depth at the site is 356 metres. The wells have been permanently plugged and abandoned.

Wells 35/11-26 S and 35/11-26 A were drilled by the Deepsea Stavanger drilling facility, which will now drill wildcat well 30/11-15 in production licence 035 in the North Sea, where Equinor Energy AS is the operator.