Wintershall Dea discovers significant hydrocarbons at Dvalin North

Wintershall Dea Norge AS found significant gas, condensate, and oil at the Dvalin North prospect in the Haltenbanken area of the Norwegian Sea and will consider a tieback to the operated Dvalin field.

Well 6507/4-2 S was drilled by the Deepsea Aberdeen rig to vertical and measured depths of 4,398 m and 4,453 m, respectively, subsea, in production license (PL) 211, 12 km north of Dvalin field and 65 km north of Maria field. It was terminated in the Ror formation from the Early Triassic. The water depth is 450 m.

The primary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Garn formation). The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in two reservoir levels from the Late Cretaceous, in the Lysing and Lange formations.

The well encountered a gas column of 85 m in the Garn formation, of which about 60 m consist of sandstone of moderate to poor reservoir quality. The gas-water contact was not encountered. Preliminary estimate of the discovery is 5-11 million std cu m of recoverable oil equivalent.

In the first secondary exploration target, the well encountered a 33-m gas-condensate column in the upper part of the Lysing formation, containing multiple sandstone layers totaling about 15 m with moderate to good reservoir properties. The gas-water contact was proven at 2,883 m subsea. Preliminary calculation of the discovery is 3-5 million std cu m of recoverable oil equivalent.

In the second secondary exploration target, the well encountered four petroleum-bearing sandstone intervals in the Lange formation. The two highest intervals have gas columns of 24 m and 48 m, respectively, containing sandstone layers totaling 9-11 m, respectively, with moderate reservoir properties. No gas-water contacts were proven. The two bottom sandstone intervals have oil columns of 23 m and 19 m, respectively, containing sandstone layers totaling 8 m in each interval, with poor reservoir properties. No oil-water contacts were proven. Preliminary calculation of the discovery is 3-9 million std cu m of recoverable oil equivalent.

Dvalin North is the first of a two-well exploration and appraisal program in the Haltenbanken area.

The well was not formation-tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling were carried out. The well will now be permanently plugged.

The rig will move to appraise the nearby Bergknapp discovery, made in 2020 (OGJ Online, Apr. 7, 2020).