Equinor has discovered oil in the Troll and Fram area in exploration wells 35/10-7 S and 35/10-7 A in the Toppand prospect. Preliminary calculations indicate between 21 million and 33 million BOE of recoverable reserves.
Well 35/10-7 S encountered an oil column of around 75 m in the lower part of the Ness formation and in the Etive formation. There were also traces of hydrocarbons in the shale- and coal-dominated upper part of the Brent Group. A total of around 68 m of effective sandstone reservoir of good to very good reservoir quality was encountered in the Ness and Etive formations combined.
Exploration well 35/10-7 A encountered a 60-m oil-filled sandstone-dominated interval in the lower part of the Ness formation and in the Etive formation. A total of around 67 m of effective sandstone reservoir of good to moderate quality were encountered in the Ness and Etive formations combined.
Geir Sørtveit, senior vice president for exploration and production west operations for Equinor, said, “We are pleased to see that our success in the Troll- and Fram area continues. We also regard this discovery to be commercially viable and will consider tying it to the Troll B or Troll C platform. Such discoveries close to existing infrastructure are characterized by high profitability, a short payback period, and low CO2 emissions.”
These wells are the second and third exploration wells in Production License 630. The license was awarded in the 2011 Award in Predefined Areas. The wells were drilled around 8 km west of the Fram field and 140 km northwest of Bergen.
Equinor holds a 50% stake and operates Toppand. Partner Wellesley holds the remaining 50% interest.