The 34/12-1 "Afrodite" discovery in the North Sea has been confirmed (35/7-2)
The well was drilled by the Deepsea Yantai rig. (Photo: Odfjell Drilling)
10/29/2026 Equinor and its partners have drilled an appraisal well on the 34/12-1 "Afrodite" discovery, which was made in 2008.
Well 35/7-2 confirms the gas and condensate discovery. Preliminary calculations show that the discovery is now between 12 and 29 million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalent (o.e.). This corresponds to between 77 and 180 million barrels of oil equivalent.
The well was drilled about 35 kilometres northeast of the Kvitebjørn field.
This was the second well drilled in production licence 293, which was awarded in 2003 (North Sea Awards 2002).
The licensees in production licence 293 are Equinor Energy (operator), ORLEN Upstream Norway, DNO Norge and Wellesley Petroleum.
Moving forward, the licensees will assess whether it is possible to develop 34/12-1 “Afrodite” via existing infrastructure in the area, where Kvitebjørn is one possible option.
The partner Wellesley is the operator of well 35/7-2, which was drilled by the Deepsea Yantai rig.
Geological information
The objective of 35/7-2 was to delineate the 34/12-1 "Afrodite" discovery, which was drilled in 2008.
In 35/7-2, a 69-metre gas/condensate column was encountered in the Tarbert Formation and the upper part of the Ness Formation with reservoir rocks of poor quality. The gas/water contact was not encountered.
A 4-metre gas/condensate column was encountered in the lower part of the Ness Formation, with reservoir rocks of poor quality. The gas/water contact was not encountered.
In the Etive Formation, the well encountered reservoir rocks with poor reservoir properties. The reservoir was aquiferous.
Extensive volumes of data were collected in the well. The use of new technology in the data acquisition provided essential information for developing the reservoir, which yielded beneficial learning for use in other tight reservoirs.
The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 4667 metres below sea level in the Drake Formation, part of the Dunlin Group from the Middle Jurassic.
Water depth at the site is 376 metres, and the well is currently being permanently plugged and abandoned.
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Updated: 10/29/2026