The objective of the well was to test the deposit’s production properties, as well as to examine the well concept prior to a potential development. The well encountered the top of the reservoir and the gas/water contact as expected. According to the operator’s estimates, the size of the discovery probably falls within a range of uncertainty of 15-30 billion Sm3 of recoverable gas.
The well demonstrated that it is possible to drill and produce gas in what constitutes a record shallow reservoir on the Norwegian continental shelf. The reservoir is situated just 581 meterS (m) below the sea surface and 209m under the seabed. A successful formation test was performed. The maximum production rate was 1.03 million Sm3 gas per flow day through a 104/64-inch nozzle opening. This probably represents the start of exploration with a view towards developing shallow gas on the Norwegian shelf.
Well 35/2-2 is the second exploration well in production licence 318, which was awarded in the 18th licensing round on the Norwegian shelf in 2004. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 640m, and was terminated in the Naust formation in the Pliocene. The water depth is 372m, and the well will be plugged and abandoned.
The well was drilled using the semi-submersible drilling facility Transocean Winner, which will now proceed to production licence 104 near the Oseberg Sør field in the North Sea to drill wildcat well 30/9-23 operated by StatoilHydro.
The licensees in production license 318 are Petoro AS 20%, Idemitsu Petroleum Norge AS 20%, StatoilHydro 60%.
