Lundin Petroleum has discovered significant oil at the 16/2-8 appraisal or exploration well, which is located at the Aldous South prospect in PL265, Norwegian North Sea. The discovery is possibly an Avalsdnes discovery expansion, which was made by Lundin in PL501.
The company will drill the well to a depth of 2,083 m vertically in water to a depth of 112 m and is situated 4 km to the western part of the Avaldsnes well in PL501, wherein Lundin holds 40% interest and is the operator.
The well returned a gross oil column for more than 65 m in Jurassic age’s sandstone. The program of the preliminary data acquisition has substantiated the exceptional reservoir features having a high ratio between the net and gross and the oil-water contact that is similar to the Avalsdnes discovery that shows a liable contact between the two formations.
The purchase of samples and a complete data set is currently underway. Primary estimations of the discovery size, which is done by the operator Statoil, are between 200 and 400 M of gross recoverable oil equivalent barrels excluding the further prospective at the Aldous Major South formation to the southern part and Aldous Major North formation to the northern part.
Lundin will provide details of the resource estimates of the Aldous Major South-Avaldsnes discoveries, which is situated in both PL265 and PL501, after the completion of the presently drilling second Avaldsnes well and appraising all the well data of the Aldous Major South discovery.
The company has planned for additional assessment drilling in PL265 by next year to further examine the Aldous Major South discovery.
The Transocean Leader rig is employed for drilling the well 16/2-8 and will be mobilized to drill the Aldous Major North prospect, which is also situated in PL265.
The CEO and President of Lundin, has commented that the well at the Aldous Major South discovery is of main importance, which confirms the Avaldsnes discovery expansion to the western part into PL265 having an enhanced reservoir width over the oil and water contact and continuous exceptional reservoir features. Aldous Major South or Avaldsnes is an outstanding oil discovery and is expected to be one of the main Norwegian fields.