Northern Lights well results indicate sandstone and storage potential for CO2

Northern Lights partners Equinor Energy AS, Shell, and Total will further analyze results after the drilling of a confirmation well in the North Sea to determine the suitability of the reservoir in the Johansen formation for CO₂ storage proved a sealing shale layer and the presence of good quality sandstone (OGJ Online, Dec. 16, 2019).

Well 31/5-7, the first to be drilled in exploitation license 001, was drilled to a vertical depth of 2,884 m subsea by the West Hercules drilling facility 17.5 km southwest of Troll A about 100 km west of Bergen. It was terminated in the Statfjord Group in the Lower Jurassic. Water depth at the site is 307 m. Extensive amounts of data have been acquired through coring, logging, sampling and a production test.

In the Cook and Johansen formations, a total of 173 m of sandstone was encountered, with good to very good reservoir quality, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. Above the sandstone reservoir, the well encountered 75 m of sealing homogeneous shale in the Lower Drake formation. Formation pressure data shows that the rocks over and under the sealed shale layer are not in communication.

The well will now be temporarily plugged. If the Northern Lights project is sanctioned, the well will be used for injection and storage of CO₂.

An investment decision could come in the spring of this year, subject to implementation agreement among partners and government authorities, as well as ESA approval and final approval by Norwegian authorities.

Northern Lights could be the first CO₂ storage with capacity to store CO2 from multiple industrial sources. The storage could have potential to receive CO₂ from both Norwegian and European sources.

The West Hercules will now drill wildcat well 35/10-5 in production license 827 S in the northern part of the North Sea, where Equinor is operator.