Spirit Energy Norway (60%, operator) and partner Aker BP (40%) are in the process of concluding well 16/1-33S on the Sørvesten prospect, in which the partnership hoped to find hydrocarbons in Triassic Skagerrak and Middle Jurassic Sleipner Formation reservoirs. Unfortunately, the well has been reported as a dry hole.
According to documents submitted by the operator to the Environment Directorate, the Sleipner Formation was likely to present in the Sørvesten prospect, while the presence of Hugin and Skagerrak sandstones carried a higher risk.
The well did encounter the Sleipner Formation with a thickness of about 205 meters, with 85 metres of water-bearing sandstones of moderate to very good reservoir quality. The Skagerrak Formation came in at a thickness of about 75 meters, with a total of 15 metres of water-bearing sandstones with moderate to good reservoir properties.
The fact that the Hugin Formation is not mentioned in the press release may indicate that it was absent.
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The well is located in between the Hanz field in the north at approximately 3 kilometres whilst the Ivar Aasen field is about the same distance southwards. The Hanz field, which has been approved for development, contains oil with a gas cap in Upper Jurassic intra-Draupne sandstones. The reservoirs in Ivar Aasen, which has been producing since late 2016, are in Skagerrak and Sleipner fluvial sandstones as well as in Hugin shallow marine sands.
Migris, the company that describes and reduces geological and economical exploration risk by simulating geological processes and visualizing the results in interactive 3D-models, already predicted this well to be a risky one. They identified it as a class B well with flowrisk value of 60%, which means that the predicted pre-drill probability of charging oil or gas is only 25% in the Hugin and Sleipner formations.
HENK KOMBRINK
