Back to Barents for Statoil

Statoil is to continue its Barents Sea exploration campaign in 2014, with 5-7 new wells planned.

The Norwegian oil firm is planning to test potential in the Hoop area, where OMV made the recent play-opening Wisting Central discovery.

Image: Transocean’s semisubmersible drilling rig Polar Pioneer, used to drill on Skrugard in the Barents Sea. Image: Harald Pettersen, Statoil.

Statoil is a partner in Wisting Central, in PL537. During Q2-Q3 2014, Statoil will drill the Atlantis and Apollo prospects in PL615, approximately 50km north of PL537.

Statoil will also continue exploration drilling around the Johan Castberg discoveries (previously known as Skrugard and Havis).

In the Johan Castberg area the Skavl prospect is currently being drilled, followed by the Kramsnø and Drivis prospects late 2013/early 2014.

In total, Statoil plans to drill 20-25 exploration wells on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) in 2014. Two thirds of the wells will be Statoil-operated.

In the North Sea, Statoil plans to further explore around the gas and condensate King Lear discovery, including drilling the Romeo and Julius prospects.

It will also continue exploration in the Johan Sverdrup/greater Utsira High area, with the Geitungen appraisal due to be drilled in PL265 at the turn of the year, followed by the Tastaveden prospect in PL628.

In the Norwegian Sea, the focus will be to mature the deep-water exploration campaign in the Aasta Hansteen area, which is planned to start in 2015.

In addition, the company will explore around existing infrastructure to identify new fast-track developments.

"The Apollo well will target the same geological formation as the Wisting Central well,” said. We have a solid understanding of the subsurface and are well prepared to conduct safe and secure operations in this area of the NCS," says Gro G. Haatvedt, senior vice president for NCS exploration in Statoil.

"We still believe we can find more oil in the Johan Castberg area to make the field development project more robust. Currently we are evaluating several prospects around Johan Castberg for drilling in 2014," added Haatvedt.

"We are confident there are new, exciting opportunities to be explored on the Norwegian continental shelf going forward," concludes Haatvedt.