Aker BP makes oil discovery northeast of Alvheim field

Aker BP ASA has plugged exploration well 25/2-21 (Liatarnet) in production license 442 in the central North Sea after encountering oil in both exploration targets.

The exploration well—the ninth in PL442—was drilled to a vertical depth of 1,170 m subsea using Odfjell Drilling’s Deepsea Stavanger semisubmersible drilling rig 40 km northeast of Alvheim field and 200 km northwest of Stavanger in 110 m of water. It was terminated in Oligocene rocks in the Hordaland Group.

The primary and secondary exploration targets for the well were to prove petroleum in Early Miocene reservoir rocks in the Skade formation.

Well 25/2-21 encountered a 28-m oil column in the primary exploration target in sand layers with extremely good reservoir quality. The oil-water contact was not encountered. The secondary exploration target consisted of a 12-m water-bearing sand layer, also with extremely good reservoir quality.

Preliminary estimates indicate the size of the discovery is 13-32 million standard cu m of recoverable oil. The flow potential and recovery rate are uncertain and will have to be clarified prior to preparation of a possible development plan.

The well was not formation-tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out.

The drilling rig will move to the Norwegian Sea to drill wildcat well 6608/6-1 in PL762, where Aker BP is operator.