Sokkeldirektoratet

Oil discovery near the Fram field in the North Sea – 31/2-22 S and 31/2-22 A

Illustrasjonsbilde-plattformstillas-Morten-Berentsen.jpg

Illustration image.

3/24/2021 Equinor Energy AS, operator of production licence 090 I, has concluded the drilling of wildcat wells 31/2-22 S and 31/2-22 A.

The wells were drilled about 3 kilometres southwest of the Fram field in the northern North Sea and 120 kilometres northwest of Bergen.

The primary exploration target for wildcat well 31/2-22 S was to prove petroleum in the Sognefjord Formation from the Late Jurassic Age.
The secondary target of the well was to investigate reservoir properties in the Fensfjord Formation from the Middle Jurassic Age.

The primary exploration target for wildcat well 31/2-22 A was to prove petroleum in the Sognefjord Formation in the neighbouring structure west of 31/2-22 S.

Well 31/2-22 S encountered a total oil column of about 30 metres in the upper part of the Sognefjord Formation, 25 metres of which was sandstone with very good reservoir quality. It also encountered an oil column of about 50 metres in the lower part of the Sognefjord Formation, about 40 metres of which was sandstone with good to very good reservoir quality.

The oil/water contacts were proven at 1,860 metres and 1,960 metres, respectively, below sea level.

The well encountered about 65 metres of sandstone in the Fensfjord Formation, with moderate to good reservoir quality.

Wildcat well 31/2-22 A encountered about 55 metres of water-bearing sandstone with good to very good reservoir quality in the upper part of the Sognefjord Formation and about 25 metres of water-bearing sandstone with poor to good reservoir quality in the lower part of the Sognefjord Formation. The well is classified as dry.

The preliminary estimate of the size of the discovery is between 12 and 19 million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalent. The licensees have assessed the discovery as commercial and will consider tie-in to other discoveries and existing infrastructure in the area.

The wells were not formation-tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out.

These are the first and second exploration wells in production licence 090 I. The licence was awarded in APA 2017.

Well 31/2-22 S was drilled to a vertical depth of 2,282 metres and a measured depth of 2,379 metres below sea level, and was terminated in the Heather Formation from the Middle Jurassic Age. Well 31/2-22 A was drilled to a vertical depth of 2,035 metres and a measured depth of 2,207 metres below sea level, and was terminated in the lower part of the Sognefjord Formation.

Water depth at the site is 349 metres. The wells have been permanently plugged and abandoned.

The wells were drilled by the West Hercules drilling facility, which will now drill wildcat well 34/6-5 S in production licence 554 in the northern North Sea, where Equinor Energy AS is the operator.

Map of well 31-2-22-SA

 

Contact

Ola Anders Skauby

Director Communication, public affairs and emergency response

Tel: +47 905 98 519

Updated: 3/24/2021

Latest news

Who deserves the Improved Recovery Award?
11/25/2025 The time has come to nominate candidates for this prize, which was first awarded in 1998. Back then it was known as the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate’s IOR Award.
Production figures October 2025
11/20/2025 Preliminary production figures for October 2025 show an average daily production of 2 017 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate.
Drilling permit for well 33/12-N-3 GH and 33/12-N-3 HH
11/20/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 33/12-N-3 GH in production licence 037 B/152 and 33/12-N-3 HH in production licence 037 B/277.
Dry well in the North Sea (2/6-8 S and 2/6-8 ST2)
11/18/2025 DNO and its partners have drilled a dry well in the "Page" prospect in the southern part of the North Sea, about 270 kilometres from Stavanger and 40 kilometres from Ekofisk.
What would you like to learn more about at Technology Day 2026?
11/17/2025 The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate is pleased to announce Technology Day 2026. Save the date – 4 June 2026 – and take this opportunity to nominate speakers for the event!
New Dashboard: Resource stats by company
11/14/2025 Our new Dashboard provides an overview of the licensees’ respective petroleum resources and reserves on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).
Delineation of the “Zagato” oil discovery in the Barents Sea – 7122/8-4 S
11/13/2025 Vår Energi's appraisal well 7122/8-4 S confirms the 7122/8-3 S (“Zagato”) oil discovery, which was proven in February.
New technology is profitable when shutting down wells
11/13/2025 About 2900 wellbores on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) will be plugged and shut down in the years to come, but development and implementation of new technology can save the industry and society considerable costs.
Dry well in the North Sea (34/6-9 S)
11/11/2025 Equinor and its partners have drilled a dry well in the Snorre area in the North Sea.
Dry well in the North Sea (30/11-16 S)
11/7/2025 Aker BP and its partners have drilled a dry well in the Yggdrasil area in the North Sea.