Spirit Energy used Leiv Eiriksson semi-submersible rig to drill the wildcat well 16/1-33 S
The well 16/1-33 S was terminated in the Skagerrak Formation. (Credit: C Morrison from Pixabay)
Oil and gas operator Spirit Energy Norway is in the process of concluding the drilling of the wildcat well 16/1-33 S located in production licence (PL) 780 in the North Sea, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) announced.
Located near the Ivar Aasen field in the central part of the North Sea, the well is approximately 200km west of Stavanger.
The well was aimed to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks in the Sleipner and Skagerrak Formations.
Spirit Energy used Leiv Eiriksson semi-submersible rig to drill the well to vertical and measured depths of 3,042m and 3,158m respectively, below sea level at a depth of 116m.
Following drilling, the well 16/1-33 S encountered the Sleipner Formation with a thickness of some 205m, while the Skagerrak Formation resulted in a thickness of around 75m.
Well 16/1-33 S was classified as ‘dry’
According to NPD, the well was classified as ‘dry’ and was not formation-tested and was terminated in the Skagerrak Formation in the Upper Triassic.
The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned, NPD noted.
In a press statement, NPD said: “Well 16/1-33 S was drilled by the Leiv Eiriksson drilling facility, which will now proceed to drill wildcat well 6507/4-1 in production licence 1009 in the southern part of the Norwegian Sea, where ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS is the operator.”
The well 16/1-33 S represents the first exploration well in PL-780, where Spirit Energy serves as the operator.
Earlier this year, Spirit Energy has increased its production by bringing online two new wells at its fields in the North Sea.
The company has started gas production at the new C6 well at its Chiswick field in the Southern North Sea.