Sokkeldirektoratet

Oil and gas discovery in the North Sea (31/1-4)

SODIR_LETEBOR.jpg

12/17/2024 Equinor and its partners have discovered oil and gas in wildcat well 31/1-4 (“Ringand) in the North Sea.

Preliminary estimates indicate the size of the discovery is between 0.3 and 2 million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalent, which corresponds to 1.9-12.6 million barrels.

Well 31/1-4 was drilled by the Deepsea Atlantic rig. Production licence 923 borders Troll øst and the Fram area. Previous discoveries made in the area include 31/1-2 S (“Røver nord”) and 31/1-3 S (“Røver sør”).

The licensees have assessed the previous discoveries as commercially profitable, and they will consider development solutions tied back to existing infrastructure.

“Ringand” was exploration well number seven in production licence 923/ 923B. This well is registered as the first well in production licence 923 B.

Production licence 923 was part of the Awards in Predefined Areas - APA 2017 – awarded in 2018, and production licence 923 B was awarded in 2022 (APA 2021)

Geological information

The primary exploration target for the well was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks in the Ness, Etive and Oseberg formations. The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks in the Cook Formation.

Well 31/1-4 encountered a 112-metre gas column in the Ness, Etive and Oseberg formations, as well as a 16-metre oil column in the Oseberg Formation.

There were 14 metres of poor-quality sandstone reservoir in the Ness Formation and 46 metres of sandstone reservoir in the Etive and Oseberg formations, with poor to moderate quality.

In addition, a 13-metre gas column was encountered in sandstone with moderate reservoir quality in the Drake Formation.

The well encountered a 6-metre aquiferous sandstone layer with moderate reservoir quality in the Cook Formation.

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

The gas/oil contact was encountered at 3489 metres and the oil/water contact was encountered at 3505 metres below sea level.

Well 31/1-4 was drilled to a vertical depth of 3772 metres below sea level, and was terminated in the Amundsen Formation in the Lower Jurassic.
Water depth at the site is 304 metres. The well has been permanently plugged and abandoned.

Map showing the location of well 31/1-4

 

Contact
Bjørn Rasen

Tel: +47 51 87 60 00

Updated: 12/17/2024

Latest news

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.
Drilling permit for wellbore 7220/7-5
11/7/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 7220/7-5 in production licence 532.