Statoil has commenced drilling exploration well 16/2-2 in the North Sea with the Byford Dolphin rig. The purpose is to determine whether there is oil or gas in the Skuld prospect.
Skuld lies directly south of the Balder and Grane fields, which are operated by ExxonMobil and Norsk Hydro respectively.
The well will be drilled in tertiary layers to a total depth of 1,900 metres. Drilling will take three to four weeks, reports Morten Sola, acting sector manager for the North Sea.
The Skuld well is being drilled in production licence 265, which was awarded to Statoil and its partners in last year’s North Sea licensing round.
Operator Statoil has a 30 per cent stake in the licence. The other partners are the state’s direct financial interest (30 per cent), ExxonMobil (25 per cent) and Enterprise Oil (15 per cent).
Byford Dolphin recently finished drilling an exploration well for Statoil in the B prospect near the Sleipner area in the North Sea.