Wintershall Dea Norge has completed drilling at the appraisal well 6604/5-2 S on the 6604/5-1 (Balderbrå) gas discovery in the northern Norwegian Sea.
Located in the production licence 894, the well 6604/5-2 S has been drilled about 113km southwest of the Aasta Hansteen field.
Wintershall Dea Norge operates the production licence 894 with a 40% stake while other licensees include Equinor Energy (40%) and Petoro (20%).
Drilled to a vertical depth of 3,816m and a measured depth of 4,121m using the Scarabeo 8 drilling facility, the well 6604/5-2 was aimed to delineate the Balderbrå discovery.
In 2018, the 6604/5-1 gas discovery was confirmed in Upper Cretaceous reservoir rocks (the Springar Formation).
Appraisal well 6604/5-2 is classified as dry
Following drilling, the well has encountered the Springar Formation in three intervals totalling 210m, with a total of about 140m of sandstone with poor reservoir quality.
Although traces of gas were identified, the licensees have not confirmed pressure communication with the discovery well.
As a result, the well has been classified as dry and was terminated in the Springar Formation in the Upper Cretaceous.
Before commencing drilling, Wintershall estimated the resources at the discovery between seven and 19 billion standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable gas and between one and three million Sm3 of recoverable condensate.
However, resource estimates have been reduced to between three and eight billion Sm3 of recoverable gas and between 0.2 and one million Sm3 of recoverable condensate after the drilling programme.
The licensees, which collected extensive volumes of data and samples, plan to assess the discovery together with other discoveries in the region for further follow-up.
Wintershall Dea will now use the Scarabeo 8 drilling facility to drill wildcat well 6406/3-10 in production licence 836 S in the Norwegian Sea.
Earlier this year, Wintershall Dea Norge reported dry well near the Aasta Hansteen field in the Norwegian Sea.
