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

Looking for the new edition of the continental shelf map?
8/15/2025 The shelf map has now been updated as of July 2025. It shows fields, discoveries, awarded areas, and areas opened for exploration on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).
Drilling permit for wellbore 2/6-8 S
8/11/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted DNO Norge AS drilling permit for wellbore 2/6-8 S in production licence 1086.
Johan Castberg plays a key role in the Barents Sea
8/8/2025 The Johan Castberg field will be producing oil for many years to come, and new discoveries can be incorporated. The field is important for further development in the Barents Sea.
Production figures June 2025
7/22/2025 Preliminary production figures for June 2025 show an average daily production of 1 854 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate.
Gas/condensate discovery in the Norwegian Sea (6406/11-2 S)
7/21/2025 Vår Energi and its partners have made a gas/condensate discovery in the “Vidsyn” prospect.
Dry well in the North Sea (34/6-8 S)
7/17/2025 Equinor and its partners have drilled a dry well in the "Garantiana NV" prospect.
Dry well in the Norwegian Sea (6606/4-1 S)
7/16/2025 OMV and its partners have drilled a dry well in the "Hoffmann" prospect.
Gas discovery near the Johan Castberg field in the Barents Sea - (7220/5-4)
7/10/2025 Equinor Energy AS and its partners have made a gas discovery in the "Skred" prospect.
Drilling permit for wellbore 34/8-20 S and 34/8-20 A
7/9/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 34/8-20 S and 34/8-20 A in production licence 554 E.
Drilling permit for wellbore 31/4-A-15 B
6/30/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted OKEA ASA drilling permit for wellbore 31/4-A-15 B in production licence 055.