Mol Norway has had mixed drilling results recently, where the company drilled three high profile exploration wells in the Mandal High area in an attempt to extend the Johan Sverdrup play further south. None of those wells proved commercial quantities of hydrocarbons.
However, the 25/8-19 S&A well completed last year on the western flank of the Utsira High was more promising. The well tested the Evra and Iving prospects in Eocene injectites and Mesozoic sandstones respectively. Partners in the 820S Iving licence are Lundin Energy (41%), Pandion Energy (12.5%) and Wintershall Dea (6.5%).
Only thin Eocene injectite sands were encountered when drilling the A appraisal well, whilst the S well failed to prove injectite sands altogether. Instead, oil and gas were found in Paleocene Heimdal, Statfjord and Triassic Skagerrak sandstones and fractured basement. A volume estimate was given for the Triassic Skagerrak accumulation only, amounting to 13 to 70 MMboe of recoverable resources.
Earlier this year, Mol applied for permission to drill two appraisal wells (25/8-21S and 25/8-22S) on Iving. The currently drilling 21 well is planned to drill a 1000 m horizontal section following a successful pilot hole. It is likely that the well will primarily test the Triassic succession, but during last year’s NCS Exploration – Recent Discoveries Conference Henrik Jakobsen from Mol said that the basement will also be tested. In the 22 well, following a pilot hole, two sidetracks are planned of which one will also have a horizontal section of more than 1000 m.
This is quite a serious appraisal campaign, which may suggest that the partnership is hopeful that the volumes quoted for the Triassic accumulation is only part of the prize and that there may be a little more to prove.
Heimdal Terrace
The cross-section below – from a paper published by Edoseghe Osagiede and co-workers last year – gives an impression of the structural setting of the area in which the well is being drilled. Although located a bit further north, it captures the transition from the Heimdal Terrace in the west to the Utsira High in the east and how the Western Utsira High Fault (WUHF) detaches onto the Utsira Shear Zone. Given the location of the Iving discovery at the far eastern margin of the Heimdal Terrace, it can probably be projected in the hanging wall of the Western Utsira High Fault.
About five kilometres to the southeast, operator Vår Energi and partner Mime Petroleum (10%) are currently drilling wildcat 25/8-20 S&A. The welll targets the Eocene King injectite prospect through the S well, followed by the A well testing the Prince prospect in Lower Jurassic Statfjord sandstones.
HENK KOMBRINK
