Oil and gas discovery near the Fram field in the North Sea (35/11-31 S)

The well was drilled 9 kilometres north of the Troll field and 97 kilometres southwest of Florø.

The discovery is estimated at between 0.1 – 1.1 million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalent (o.e.). This corresponds to between 0.6 and 6.9 million barrels of recoverable o.e.

The licensees will consider tying the discovery into future or existing infrastructure in the area.

This is the 24th exploration well in production licence 090, which was awarded on 9 March 1984 (8th licensing round on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS)).

Well 35/11-31 S was drilled by the COSL Innovator drilling rig, which is moving on to drill wildcat well 34/8-20 S in production licence 554 E.

Geological information

The well's primary target was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks from the Late Jurassic (Sognefjord Formation). The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks from the Middle Jurassic (Brent Group) and the Late Palaeocene.

Well 35/11-31 S encountered a 5-metre oil column in the Sognefjord Formation, about 36 metres of which consists of sandstone with very good reservoir properties.

A 4-metre gas column was encountered in the secondary exploration target, in a 68-metre thick sandstone layer with moderate to good reservoir properties. In the Lista Formation, the well encountered aquiferous sandstone with very good reservoir properties.

The well was not formation-tested, but extensive volumes of data and samples were collected.

Well 35/11-31 S was drilled to a vertical depth of 2636 metres below sea level and was terminated in the Oseberg Formation from the Middle Jurassic.

Water depth at the site is 354 metres, and the well has been permanently plugged and abandoned.