Wintershall Comes Up Dry in Barents Sea
Wintershall Norge, operator of production license 611, is in the process of completing the drilling of wildcat well 7224/2-1. The well is dry.
The well was drilled about 25 km northwest of the 7224/6-1 (Arenaria) discovery and about 240 km north of Hammerfest. The well’s primary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Lower Triassic reservoir rocks (the Klappmyss formation). The secondary exploration target for the well was to prove petroleum in Upper Triassic reservoir rocks (the Snadd formation).
Well 7224/2-1 did not encounter sandstones with reservoir quality in the Klappmyss formation, which nevertheless contains traces of petroleum. The well encountered two sandstone layers in the Snadd formation with thicknesses of about 45 m and 15 m, respectively, and with very good reservoir quality. Both layers are aquiferous.
The well encountered traces of petroleum in two thin sandstone layers in the Kobbe formation and in two thin sandstone layers with poor reservoir quality in the Havert formation. Data acquisition has been carried out.
This is the first exploration well in production license 611. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 2,916 m below the sea surface and was terminated in the Havert formation of Early Triassic age.
The water depth at the site is 415 m. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned.
Well 7224/2-1 was drilled by the Transocean Arctic drilling facility.
