The 7120/6-2 S appraisal was drilled 4.3 kilometres west of the Snohvit discovery well and lies146 kilometres north-west of Hammerfest.
"The well proved an oil and gas column from the Early/Middle Jurassic," the NPD said in a statement.
Statoil's partners in the Snohvit field, on track to start producing gas later this year, had also pushed to evaluate the Arctic field's potential to produce oil as well as gas.
"The
