Centrica in minor gas find northeast of Aasta Hansteen

Centrica in minor gas find northeast of Aasta Hansteen

STAVANGER, Norway -- Centrica Resources Norge, operator of production license 528 B, is about to complete drilling of wildcat well 6707/10-3 S. The well resulted in a minor gas discovery.

The well was drilled about 20 km northeast of Aasta Hansteen field in the Norwegian Sea. The primary and secondary exploration targets for the well were proving petroleum in Upper Cretaceous reservoir rocks, the Kvitnos and Lysing formations, respectively.

Well 6707/10-3 S encountered a total gas column of about 12 m in the Kvitnos formation with good reservoir properties. The entire reservoir zone, including the water zone, has a gross thickness of about 200 m.

Reservoir rocks were encountered in the secondary exploration target with a total of 25 m thickness in the Lysing formation, which was tight and aquiferous.

Preliminary calculations of the size of the discovery are between two and eight billion standard cubic meters of recoverable gas. The licensees will assess well results with regard to profitability.

The well was not formation tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling were carried out.

This is the first exploration well in production license 528 B. The license was awarded in the 21st licensing round, as an addition to production license 528.

Well 6707/10-3 S was drilled to a vertical depth of 4,264 m below the sea surface, and was terminated in the Lange formation in the Lower Cretaceous. Water depth is 1,421 m.

The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 6707/10-3 S was drilled by the West Navigator drillship.