Sokkeldirektoratet

Dry well in the North Sea

6/14/2024 The ”Toppand east” well 35/11-29 S in the North Sea, drilled by Wellesley, Equinor and Petoro, proved to be dry.

The well is located in production licence 248 C, where Equinor is the operator. Wellesley Petroleum was the operator for this well, which was drilled using the COSL Promoter rig. PL 248 C was carved out of production licence 248 in 2013. The area also covers the “Swisher” discovery (35/11-24S A and B).

PL 248 C is working to identify additional resources to the "Swisher" discovery to make a development more robust as part of Equinor's Ring Road West project.

Geological info

The objective of the well was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks in the Brent Group and the Oseberg Formation.

The well encountered the Ness Formation with a total thickness of around 64 metres with an 18-metre sandstone reservoir with poor reservoir quality, the Etive Formation with a total thickness of around 51 metres with a 26-metre sandstone reservoir with good reservoir quality, as well as the Oseberg Formation with a total thickness of around 50 metres with a 50-metre sandstone reservoir with moderate reservoir quality.

The well is dry.

Well 35/11-29 S was drilled to respective vertical and measured depths of 3490 metres and 3575 metres below sea level, and was terminated in the Cook Formation in the Lower Jurassic.

Water depth at the site is 355 metres. The well has been permanently plugged and abandoned.

Map showing the location of well 35-11-29 S.

 

Contact

Ola Anders Skauby

Director Communication, public affairs and emergency response

Tel: +47 905 98 519

Updated: 6/14/2024

Latest news

Drilling permit for wellbore 34/10-56 S
5/8/2026 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 34/10-56 S in production licence 050 HS.
Announcement of awards in predefined areas (APA) 2026
5/5/2026 The Ministry of Energy announced APA 2026 on 5 May 2026, encompassing the predefined areas with blocks in the North Sea, Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea. 
The prospect form is updated
4/29/2026 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has updated the prospect form for reporting prospects, leads and in some cases, discoveries.
Drilling permit for wellbore 7220/5-EC-2 H
4/27/2026 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 7220/5-EC-2 H in production licence 532.
Dry well in the North Sea (34/8-A-37 H)
4/22/2026 Equinor and its partners have drilled a dry well in the “Skoll” and “Hati” prospects, east of the Visund field in the North Sea.
Production figures March 2026
4/21/2026 Preliminary production figures for March 2026 show an average daily production of 2 152 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate.
Advanced methods can curb production decline
4/15/2026 There is no time to waste if we want to extract more oil and gas from the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) using advanced methods (EOGR). The benefits for our broader society could be enormous.
Technology Day programme
4/9/2026 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate’s Technology Day will be held on 4 June. There are still some slots available!
Who will see Gro as a diamond in the rough?
4/8/2026 6603/12-1 (Gro) is one of the largest undeveloped gas discoveries on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). There is a considerable value creation potential here, but time is running out.
Production figures February 2026
3/20/2026 Preliminary production figures for February 2026 show an average daily production of 2 176 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate.