Norwegian oil and gas firm Vår Energi and its partner Kistos Energy have drilled a dry well in the Balder area in the North Sea.
The well 25/8-C-23 D, dubbed Prince Updip, was drilled in production license 027, from the Ringhorne platform, just over 200 kilometers west of Stavanger.
Vår Energi is the operator of the license, with 90% working interest, with partner Kistos Energy (Norway) holding the remaining 10% stake.
Production license 027 was awarded in 1969, in the second licensing round on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). This is the 13th exploration well drilled within the license area. The Balder and Ringhorne Øst fields are also located in the licence.
The production license previously saw exploration activity in 2021, when exploration wells 25/8-20 S, B and C proved hydrocarbons at two levels.
Following the drilling results, the well has been classified as dry with hydrocarbon shows, and has now been permanently plugged and abandoned.