Equinor encounters dry well near Fram field in Norwegian North Sea

Equinor Energy, the operator of production licence 827 S in the Norwegian North Sea, has failed to find any hydrocarbons following the drilling of wildcat well 35/10-6.

The wildcat well was drilled nearly 20 kilometres northwest of the Fram field in the northern region of the North Sea, and nearly 145 kilometres northwest of Bergen.

The objective of the 35/10-6 exploratory well was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks from the Early Eocene and Late Palaeocene Age.

According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, Sandstones were not intersected in the Balder Formation. In the Sele Formation, sandstones were intersected by the wildcat well with a thickness of around 40 metres with good to very good reservoir properties.

The 35/10-6 exploratory well is the first well in production licence 827 S, which was awarded during APA 2015. The wildcat well in the North Sea was drilled to a vertical depth of 1907 metres below sea level and was terminated in the Lista Formation from the Late Palaeocene Age.

Water depth at the drilling site is 368 metres. The wildcat well 35/10-6 has been plugged and abandoned permanently.

The West Hercules drilling facility which drilled the Well 35/10-6 will now drill another wildcat well 30/2-5 S in production licence 878 in the northern North Sea, where Equinor Energy is the operator.

Equinor encounters dry well near Fram field in the Norwegian North Sea. Image courtesy of Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.