Norway’s Aker BP has made a gas discovery with an exploration and follow up appraisal well near the Boyla field in the central North Sea.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) revealed Wednesday the find had been made following the drilling of the 24/9-13 exploration well and 24/9-13 A appraisal well on the Rumpetroll prospect in PL 869.

The initial exploration well was drilled to a depth of 2272 metres and hit a three-metre gas column in the Hordaland group, which the NPD said included two metres of sandstone with mainly good reservoir quality.

The NPD added that several sandstone layers with mainly good reservoir quality, totalling 17 metres, were also encountered in the Balder formation and showed traces of oil.

The sandstones were interpreted to be remobilised sand from the Heimdal and Hermod formation and injected into overlying stratigraphy in the Rogaland and Hordaland group.

The follow-up appraisal well was drilled to 2240 metres and hit a 40-metre gas column in injectite zones, with a total of about seven metres of sandstone with good to very good reservoir quality.

According to the NPD, the sandstones are interpreted as being injected sands in the Hordaland group, as in the exploration well.

The regulator also highlighted that petroleum and water contacts were not encountered in either well, but they proved an overall gas column of at least 77 metres.

Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery at between 3.8 million and 10.7 million barrels of oil equivalent. Prior to drilling Aker BP had placed pre-drill resource estimate at the Rumpetroll prospect of between 45 million and 148 million boe.

The NPD said Aker BP and its partners would now assess the results for further delineation of the discovery while also noting that formation tests were not carried out in either well but the operator had carried out extensive data acquisition and sampling.

Both wells were drilled using the semi-submersible Deepsea Nordkapp in a water depth of about 118 metres and have been permanently plugged and abandoned.

The rig will now move to PL460 to drill a production well on the Skogul field for Aker BP.

Online

Aker BP hits gas near Boyla