The primary objective of the wells was to prove petroleum in Upper Jurassic reservoir rocks (Intra Heather Formation sandstones), although Middle Jurassic Brent sandstones were also considered a potential target.
The well was operated by Equinor; licence partners are Petoro AS and Wellesley Petroleum AS.
Recoverable resources are estimated to be in the range of 2-6 million standard cubic metres of oil equivalent, corresponding to 13-38 million barrels of oil equivalent.
See also: Equinor hopes to capitalise on PL248C through drilling Swisher well
Well 35/11-24 S encountered two hydrocarbon columns in Intra Heather Formation sandstones. The shallowest is a gas column in a 21-metre interval, 7 metres of which in sandstones of mainly good reservoir quality. The deepest is an oil column in a 21-metre interval, 17 metres of which in sandstones of moderate to good reservoir quality.
Well 35/11-24 A encountered a total gas column of 25 metres in the Heather Formation, a total of 6 metres of which in sandstone layers with moderate reservoir quality.
Well 35/11-24 B encountered an oil column of 3 metres in Intra Heather Formation sandstone layers with good reservoir quality. No gas/oil/water contacts were encountered.
The licensees will assess the discovery with regard to phase-in to existing infrastructure in the surrounding area. These are the third, fourth and fifth wells in production licence 248 C. The licence was awarded in the 1999 North Sea Awards (NST99).
The outcome of this drilling campaign was correctly predicted by Migris, the company that describes and reduces geological and economical exploration risk by simulating geological processes. Migris predicted the Swisher well to be a class A well with flowrisk value of 99% for the Upper Jurassic.
Echino South
Another discovery near Fram was announced last year (Echino South) when well 35/11-23 (operated by Equinor) encountered oil and gas in the Sognefjord Formation as well as in the Ness and Etive Formations of the Brent Group. Both units displayed good quality reservoirs, which added to the excitement of the discovery. Unfortunately, subsequent appraisal well 35/11-23A failed to prove hydrocarbons in the Sognefjord Formation, whilst the Brent reservoirs were not tested. Pre-appraisal well volume estimates were between 6 and 16 million Sm3 of recoverable oil or 38 and 101 million barrels of oil equivalent.
Hear about Echino South at the upcoming NCS Digital Conference – 14-15 October
