An appraisal well drilled southwest of the Alta discovery well in the southern Barents Sea encountered a 50-m thick gas column in rocks of varying reservoir quality, Lundin Petroleum said in a news release.

The company said its subsidiary, Lundin Norway, successfully drilled appraisal well 7220/11-2 and sidetrack 7220/11-2 A in the western part of the Alta discovery in PL609. Results confirmed the reservoir model and proved the presence of hydrocarbon columns and fluid contacts similar to those of the Alta discovery well, located 10 to 20 km northeast of Lundin Petroleum’s Gohta discovery in Barents Sea South and about 160 km from the Norwegian coastline.

Alta discovery well 7220/11-1 was completed in October 2014. The preliminary evaluation of the gross recoverable oil and gas resource range from the Alta discovery well after the first well was estimated at 125 to 400 million barrels of oil equivalents, according to the release.

Sidetrack 7220/11-2 A was drilled 330 m west of well 7220/11-2. It encountered movable oil. The pressure data and fluid properties indicate communication between both the appraisal wells and the discovery well 7220/11-1, the release said.

Data acquisition and sampling were performed in both wells, including conventional coring and fluid sampling. One production test was carried out in 7220/11-2 A. The maximum production rate was 860 bbl/d and 0.65 MMcf/d through a 24/64-in. choke. The pressure build-up during the test showed increased permeability thickness away from the well bore, interpreted to be in a westerly direction based on seismic data.

The 7220/11-2 and 7220/11-2 wells were drilled to total vertical depths of 2,020 and 2,041 m below mean sea level, respectively. The water depth was 379 m. Both were drilled using the drilling rig Island Innovator and are now being permanently plugged and abandoned, Lundin said in the release. The Island Innovator will then proceed to drill the next appraisal well, 7220/11-3, on the eastern flank of the Alta discovery in PL609. The well is expected to spud mid-June.

Lundin Norway is operator and holds 40% working interest in PL609. The partners are DEA Norge AS and Idemitsu Petroleum Norge AS with 30% working interest each.

Offshore