Sokkeldirektoratet

Oil discovery near the Ivar Aasen field in the North Sea

nyhetsbilder_od16-rigg.jpg

Illustration picture.

2/10/2023 Aker BP ASA, operator of production licence 867 B, has concluded the drilling of wildcat well 25/10-17 S.

The well was drilled about 12 kilometres north of the Ivar Aasen field, and 187 kilometres southwest of Haugesund.

The primary exploration target for the well was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks in the Hugin and Sleipner formations.

The secondary exploration target for the well was to prove petroleum in the Skagerrak Formation from the Triassic.

Well 25/10-17 S encountered a 3-metre oil column in the Hugin Formation totalling 98 metres, 80 metres of which was sandstone of moderate reservoir quality. The oil/water contact was encountered at 3654 metres below sea level. In addition, residual oil (remaining petroleum) was encountered both over and under the oil column in the Hugin and Sleipner formations. The Skagerrak Formation was water-bearing.

Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery between 0.5 and 1.4 million Sm3 of recoverable oil equivalent. Initial assessments show that the discovery is not profitable at the present time.

The well was not formation-tested, but data acquisition and sampling were carried out.

This is the first exploration well in production licence 867 B, which was awarded in APA 2019.

Well 25/10-17 S was drilled to a vertical depth of 4057 metres below sea level and was terminated in the Skagerrak Formation in the Upper Triassic.

Water depth at the site is 116 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned.

Well 25/10-17 S was drilled by the Scarabeo 8 drilling facility, which will now drill wildcat well 16/1-25 S in production licence 1141 in the North Sea, where AkerBP ASA is the operator.

Map showing the location of well 25/10-17 S

 

Contact

Ola Anders Skauby

Director Communication, public affairs and emergency response

Tel: +47 905 98 519

Updated: 2/10/2023

Latest news

Drilling permit for wellbore 34/4-19 S
9/15/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 34/4-19 S in production licence 057.
Drilling permit for wellbore 34/6-9 S
9/15/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 34/6-9 S in production licence 554.
Oil discovery in the North Sea (31/4-A-15 B)
9/11/2025 OKEA and its partners have made an oil discovery near the Brage field.
Drilling permit for wellbore 6507/8-12 S
9/11/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 6507/8-12 S in production licence 124 B.
Invitation to nominate blocks for the 26th licensing round
9/10/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate is inviting the companies on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) to nominate blocks for the 26th licensing round on the NCS.
Interest in exploration on the Norwegian continental shelf remains high
9/4/2025 The authorities have received applications from 20 companies in the Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) 2025. The deadline for applications was 2 September.
Regulations relating to seabed minerals now stipulated
9/3/2025 With effect from 1 September 2025, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate has now stipulated the Regulations relating to data collection and documentation in mineral activities on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.
New dashboard provides insight into exploration activity on the NCS
9/1/2025 Exploration activity is crucial for future oil and gas production on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).
Drilling permit for wellbore 6407/1-B-2 H
9/1/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 6407/1-B-2 H in production licence 1121.
Dry well in the Barents Sea (7117/4-1)
9/1/2025 Equinor and its partners have drilled a dry well in the "Deimos" prospect.