Equinor Reports Find Near Troll

Equinor’s Heisenberg discovery near the Troll Field in the North Sea is “commercially interesting,” the company said in a March 14 press release.

Initial recoverable volumes are estimated between 28 and 84 MMboe. Equinor, which operates the PL827S license, said the find could be tied back to the Troll B platform. License partner DNO said the discovery well encountered hydrocarbons in Hordaland Group sandstones of Paleogene Age.

"Our Troll exploration play keeps delivering,” Geir Sørtveit, Equinor’s senior vice president for exploration and production west, said. “We plan to further explore the area, while looking at possible development solutions for the discoveries that have been made. We have a good infrastructure in the area and can quickly bring competitive barrels from here to the market at low cost and with low CO₂ emissions."

About a month ago, Equinor and its partners reported another the Røver South discovery in the same area.

Equinor said an appraisal well is necessary to better estimate the size of the volumes that can be recovered from Heisenberg and the license partners are considering an appraisal well in 2024.

Deepsea Stavanger drilled wildcat well 35/10-9 on the Heisenberg prospect in 368 m of water. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate said the wildcat well encountered a 6 m gas column over an oil column of around 8 m in the Hordaland Group in sandstone layers totaling 14 m, with moderate reservoir properties. The well has been permanently plugged and abandoned.

Equinor operates the license with 51% interest on behalf of partner DNO with the remaining interest.