Vår Energi ASA discovered commercial volumes of oil and gas at its operated Cerisa exploration well in North Sea production license (PL) 636 and is being included as part of the Gjøa North and Ofelia/Kyrre project team to enable a fast-track delivery of the four discoveries into production.
Estimated gross recoverable resources at Cerisa (well 36/7-5 S) and sidetracks 36/7-5 A, B, and C are 18-39 MMboe.
The discovery lies 17 km northeast of the partly electrified Vår Energi-operated Gjøa platform and 5 km from the Duva subsea template. Together with Gjøa North and Ofelia/Kyrre, Cerisa is a candidate to be tied into Gjøa field through existing area infrastructure, the operator said in a release June 27. Combined, the discoveries have estimated gross recoverable resources of up to 110 MMboe, the company continued.
The Gjøa area is a key part of the operator’s hub strategy on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. This discovery is the fifth made by Vår Energi in Cretaceous plays in the area and adds more barrels supporting the company’s target to deliver 350,000-400,000 boe/d from 2025 and beyond, according to separate releases from the Norwegian Offshore Directorate and Vår Energi.
The wells were drilled by the semi-submersible drilling rig Deepsea Yantai. The oil-water contact was not encountered, implying possible upside, the company said.
Geological information
Well 36/7-5 S, drilled to respective measured and vertical depths of 2,377 m and 2, 366 m subsea, encountered a 46-m gas column and an oil column of around 9 m in the Agat formation, 34 m of which were sandstone layers with good to moderate reservoir quality.
Well 36/7-5 A, drilled to respective measured and vertical depths of 2,639 m and 2,392 m subsea, encountered a 39-m oil column in the Agat formation, 28 m of which were sandstone layers with good to moderate reservoir quality.
Well 36/7-5 B, drilled to respective measured and vertical depths of 3,093 m and 2,389 m subsea, encountered a 29-m oil column in the Agat formation, 20 m of which were sandstone layers with good to moderate reservoir quality.
Well 36/7-5 C, drilled to respective measured and vertical depths of 3,047 m and 2,316 m subsea, terminated in the Sola formation. It encountered a 61-m oil column in the Agat formation, 26 m of which were sandstone layers of good to moderate reservoir quality.
The wells were not formation-tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out.
Vår Energi is operator with 30% interest. Partners are Inpex Idemitsu Norge AS (30%), PGNiG Upstream Norway AS (30%), and Sval Energi AS (10%).