Norwegian oil and gas company StatoilHydro has announced an oil discovery in the northern part of the Norne field in the Norwegian Sea. The discovery will be considered for development with the Norne production and storage vessel.
The oil company said that, drilling of an exploration well on the Dompap prospect off the coast of the Nordland county in Norway has been completed after proving oil. A sidetrack drilled to establish the oil/water contact in this discovery is also in the process of completion.
The wells proved an oil column of 110m in the Are formation, with the sidetrack establishing the oil/water contact. Extensive data gathering and coring were undertaken, said StatoilHydro.
Tove Sjoblom, StatoilHydro’s head of exploration on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS), said: We achieved success in 2008 with exploration close to producing fields. Making another discovery in an area of this kind accordingly marks a good start to 2009.
Even if their volumes are modest compared with the big finds made earlier on the NCS, such strikes are important for maximizing oil recovery by helping to extend the production life of installations.
StatoilHydro is an integrated technology-based international energy company primarily focused on upstream oil and gas operations. Headquartered in Norway, it claims to have more than 30 years of experience from the Norwegian continental shelf, in offshore projects.