Equinor has made two hydrocarbon discoveries in the North Sea, finding oil in the Troll area and gas and condensate near the Sleipner hub, with both considered commercially viable.
The Byrding C discovery was made about five kilometers northwest of the Fram field in the Troll area and is estimated to contain between 4 million and 8 million barrels of recoverable oil.
The Frida Kahlo discovery was drilled from the Sleipner B platform northwest of the Sleipner Vest field and is estimated to contain 5 million to 9 million barrels of oil equivalent of gas and condensate. The well is expected to be brought on stream as early as April.
Byrding C was drilled by the COSL Innovator rig in exploration well 35/11-32 S within production license 090 HS. The license partners are Equinor with a 75% stake and INPEX Idemitsu Norge with 25%.
“Near-field discoveries like these are important to maintain high energy deliveries from the Norwegian continental shelf going forward. The oil discovered in Byrding C will be produced using existing or future infrastructure in the area. We are working together with our licensees to identify good area solutions,” said Lill H. Brusdal, senior vice president for exploration and production in the Troll area.
The Frida Kahlo discovery was made in production license 046, known as the Sleipner licence. Partners include Equinor with 58.3%, Orlen Upstream Norway with 24.4% and Vår Energi with 17.2%.
Equinor said the four most recent exploration wells in the Sleipner area have all discovered gas and condensate, with combined estimated resources of 55 million to 140 million barrels of oil equivalent. The discoveries include Lofn, Langemann, Sissel and Frida Kahlo.
“These discoveries are the result of a targeted exploration effort in the Sleipner area. Sleipner is an important hub for gas exports to Europe, and we must do everything we can to identify the remaining resources in the area. The discoveries give grounds for optimism as we plan to drill three additional exploration wells and two new production wells in the area this year,” added Cecilie Rønning, senior vice president for exploration and production in the Sleipner area.
Sleipner is one of the Norwegian continental shelf’s key gas hubs, processing hydrocarbons from several tied-in fields including Sigyn, Utgard, Gudrun and Gina Krog, and exporting gas to Europe through major pipeline routes.
Equinor said improved subsurface understanding driven by Ocean Bottom Node seismic, 4D seismic and reprocessing of existing data has supported recent exploration success in both the Sleipner and Troll areas.