New Oil and Gas Discovery in the North Sea
Equinor has made a new oil and gas discovery in the Troll/Fram area in the northern North Sea. This is the ninth find in 12 attempts in the area since 2019.
The volumes are calculated to be between 9 and 35 million barrels of oil equivalent. Both oil and gas have been found, mostly oil. The licensees regard the find as commercial and will assess connections to other finds and existing infrastructure in the area.
The exploration well with a sidestep was drilled in the prospects called Crino and Mulder. These were drilled approximately 4 km west of the Fram field and 130 kilometers northwest of Bergen.
The well was drilled by Deepsea Stavanger. Equinor is the operator. Partners are Vår Energi, INPEX Idemitsu Norge and Neptune Energy Norge.
“It is positive that we can still make such discoveries in an area with good infrastructure for oil and gas. This means that the discoveries can be developed at low costs and with low CO2 emissions,” stated Geir Sørtveit, Area Director for Exploration and Production West at Equinor.
“We congratulate Equinor for their safe and successful drilling operation, which again proves the potential in the highly prolific Fram area. Its close proximity to existing infrastructure provides potential opportunities for a low emission, cost-efficient development,” Neptune Energy’s Managing Director in Norway and the UK, Odin Estensen, said.
The eight previous discoveries in the area are: Echino Sør, Swisher, Røver Nord, Blasto, Toppand, Kveikje, Røver Sør and Heisenberg.
The Troll field contains approximately 40 percent of the total gas reserves on the Norwegian continental shelf and constitutes the very cornerstone of Norwegian gas production. The field consists of the main structures Troll East and Troll West in blocks 31/2, 31/3, 31/5 and 31/6 in the North Sea.
Rights holders: Equinor Energy AS: 45%; Vår Energi ASA: 25%; INPEX Idemitsu Norge AS: 15%; Neptune Energy Norge AS: 15%.
