Oil discovery in the Barents Sea (7122/8-3 S)
The well was drilled by the COSL Prospector rig. (Photo: Cosl)
2/27/2025 Vår Energi has discovered oil in the “Zagato” prospect, directly north of the Goliat field.
Wildcat well 7122/8-3 S is the eleventh in production licence 229 in the Barents Sea. It was awarded in 1997 in a round of awards called the Barents Sea Project -97. The well was drilled by the COSL Prospector rig.
Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery between 2.4 – 6.8 million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalent (o.e.). This corresponds to between 15 and 43 million barrels of recoverable o.e.
The licensees will assess the discovery together with other discoveries and prospects in the vicinity, with a view towards a potential development tied back to existing infrastructure on the Goliat field.
Vår Energi is active in the area surrounding Goliat and plans to conduct further exploration. The next scheduled well for the rig is 7122/7-8, “Goliat nord”.
Geological information
The well’s primary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Middle Triassic reservoir rocks in the Kobbe Formation. The well’s secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Middle/Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks in the Realgrunnen sub-group.
In the primary exploration target, well 7122/8-3 S encountered oil columns totalling 72 metres in the Kobbe Formation, distributed over three reservoir zones. The reservoir quality varies from good in the upper part to moderate in the lower part. The oil/water contact was not encountered.
In the secondary exploration target, the well encountered a 3-metre oil column in the Tubåen Formation, with a total thickness of 20 metres and very good reservoir quality. The oil/water contact was encountered 1427 metres below sea level.
In addition, a 2-metre oil column was proven in the Klappmyss Formation in a sandstone layer with moderate reservoir quality.
The well was not formation-tested, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out.
The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 2542 metres below sea level and was terminated in the Klappmyss Formation in the Lower Triassic.
Water depth at the site is 410 metres. The well has been temporarily plugged and abandoned.
Updated: 2/27/2025