Equinor has made an oil discovery at the Sputnik prospect in the Barents Sea offshore Norway.

The exploration well was drilled some 30 kilometers northeast of the Wisting oil discovery and 350 kilometers north of Hammerfest.

According to Equinor, recoverable resources at the Sputnik offshore discovery are preliminarily estimated at 20-65 million barrels of oil.

The well encountered a 15-meter oil column in a Triassic sandstone reservoir. Fluid samples contain light oil and water.

“We are encouraged by this result as it confirms the presence of oil north of the Wisting discovery, where Equinor has acquired a strong acreage position,” said Nick Ashton, Equinor’s senior vice president for exploration in Norway and the UK.

“The geology in the Barents Sea is complex, and more work lies ahead to determine commerciality. But this discovery shows that persistence and our ability to learn from previous well results does pay off,” says Ashton.

“Detailed fluid analysis combined with geological and geophysical mapping will be carried out to fully understand the commercial potential of the Sputnik discovery. If confirmed that the structure comprises volumes that can be recovered in a commercially viable way, the partnership will assess possible development solutions,” Ashton said.

The Sputnik well (7324/6-1) was drilled to a vertical depth of 1569 meters below the seabed by semi-submersible drilling rig West Hercules, which has now moved on to drill the Equinor operated Lanterna well in PL796 in the Norwegian Sea.

Equinor is the operator and holds 55% of the PL855 license. Partners are OMV (25%) and Petoro (20%).