Neptune Energy discovers oil near Gjøa field

Neptune Energy Norge AS discovered oil in the North Sea about 14 km north of Gjøa field and 60 km west of Florø in 344 m of water.

The operator and license partners will assess the discovery along with other area discoveries and prospects with a view toward a possible development through existing infrastructure on Gjøa field. Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery at 2.5-6.2 million std cu m of recoverable oil equivalent.

Exploration well 35/6-3 S, the first in production license (PL) 929, was drilled by the Deepsea Yantai drilling rig to a vertical depth of 2,742 m and a measured depth of 2,966 m below sea level. It was terminated in what is presumed to be basement rock.

The objective was to prove petroleum in Lower Cretaceous reservoir rocks in the Agat formation. The well encountered a 73-m oil column with 140 m total thickness comprising sandstone layers totaling 80 m with moderate reservoir quality. The oil-water contact was encountered at 2,639 m. The well was not formation-tested, but data acquisition and sampling were carried out. The well will be plugged.

The drilling rig is moving to drill wildcat well 6608/1-1 S in PL 1017 in the Norwegian Sea for PGNiG Upstream Norway AS.

Neptune Energy is operator at PL 929 with 40% interest. Partners are ABP Norway AS (10%), DNO Norge AS (10%), Pandion Energy AS (20%), and Wintershall Dea Norge AS (20%).