Harbour Energy is keeping busy in the J area (Quadrant 30 in the UK Central North Sea), where the company is currently drilling three wells in various stages of completion. The most recent spud is 30/8-4 targeting the Triassic Dunnottar prospect to the northeast of Judy.
Talbot
The well that is probably closest to being completed is appraisal well 30/13e-12Z targeting the Talbot Paleocene oil discovery. As we reported on recently, Talbot is one of the first (serendipitous) North Sea finds, but despite various appraisal wells being drilled on the structure it so far has never made it to development. This is probably due to the more challenging reservoir architecture than anticipated, with multiple contacts and hence multiple compartments. With an estimated volume of around 13 MMboe, Talbot fits well into the category of near-field small satellite developments.
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Dunnottar
The same will probably be true for the Dunnottar prospect, if well 30/8-4 comes in as hoped. With the primary reservoir being the Triassic Joanne sandstone, Dunnottar is a 2-way fault, 2-way dip-closed structure, with the trap effectiveness being dependent on the sealing capacity of the faults to the southwest of the prospect (see map above). BG, the previous operator of the block, carried the trap as the main risk, whilst attributing a mean unrisked resource of 10 MMboe to the prospect. So Dunnotar may be even smaller than Talbot.
Jade South
The third well Harbour is currently drilling is the Jade South exploration well 30/2c-J13. It is drilled from the current Jade field platform, so it will be a highly deviated well towards the south if the prospect name is to be used as an indication. The OGA mentions the Triassic as the main target for the Jade South well. Estimated volumes are not known at the moment. The Jade field itself has so far produced 189 MMboe of gas condensate, and although production is in the tail end, partner Siccar Point states on their website that the field will continue to produce beyond 2030.
HENK KOMBRINK
