Lundin continues run of success with Barents Sea drilling

The semi-submersible Leiv Eiriksson has completed drilling Lundin Norway’s two latest appraisal wells on the Alta field in the Barents Sea.

According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), both were drilled in 402 metres (1,319 feet) of water, around two kilometres (1.2 miles) south of the discovery well 7220/11-1 in licence PL609, and 190 kilometres (118 miles) north-west of Hammerfest.

Well 7220/11-4 was designed to delineate Alta’s eastern flank by investigating the reservoir extent of conglomerates of late Permian to early Triassic age. It encountered a 48-metre (157-foot) hydrocarbon column of which 44 metres (144 feet) was oil.

Subsequent well 7220/11-4 A intersected a 44-m oil column in the same interval and in carbonate rocks in the Ørn formation.

Reservoir quality through the oil column was variable in both cases, although various zones had good permeability.

Pressure data revealed the same hydrocarbon contacts as observed in previous wells on Alta and confirmed good communication across the structure.

A formation test in well 7220/11-4 flowed a maximum of 960 cm/d of oil and 93,000 cm/d of associated gas per through a 56/64-inch nozzle opening.

The rig will next drill wildcat well 7220/6-3 in the northern part of PL 609.

Petroleum Safety Authority Norway has approved Lundin’s proposals for two further exploration wells in the Barents Sea, using the same rig.

These are wells 7219/12-2 S and 7219/12-2 A in PL533.

Water depth at the site is 338 metres (1,109 feet), with drilling scheduled to start in September.