RWE Dea Norge is pleased to announce that the company has made a significant gas discovery near the Heidrun field in the Norwegian Sea.

RWE Dea Norge A/S, operator of production licence 435 (Zidane) is in the process of finishing the drilling of exploration well 6507/07-14S. The well is located approximately 15 kilometres North West of the Heidrun field and 35 kilometres South of the Skarv field in the Norwegian Sea.

Primary objective for the well was to prove hydrocarbons in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Fangst group). Secondary objective was to prove hydrocarbons in Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks (the Tilje formation). The well encountered gas in a 150 meter column in the Fangst group. Preliminary estimates of the size of the discovery range between 5 and 18 billion standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable gas. The possibility of finding more hydrocarbons in the license is good.

“We are very pleased that the drilling operation has been successful, both with regards to the discovery itself and to the technical aspects. Throughout the operation our top priorities have been safety and the environment”, says Hugo Sandal, Managing Director of RWE Dea Norge. “This excellent new discovery increases our hydrocarbon resources and shows further growth potential on the Norwegian continental shelf,” said Ralf to Baben, Chief Operating Officer of RWE Dea AG.

Comprehensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out, and a successful drill stem test was performed. The test produced 1.2 million Sm3 gas per day on a 36/64 inch choke. Preliminary gas/oil ratio is estimated to 20,000-30,000 Sm3/Sm3. “Finding solutions to commercialize the discovery will be an exciting task”, Hugo Sandal continues. The licensees will consider producing the discovery using existing infrastructure.

The well is the first exploration well in production licence 435, which was awarded in APA 2006. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 4,477 metres below the sea surface, and it was terminated in the Tilje formation in the Lower Jurassic. Water depth at the site is 344 metres. The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned. Well 6507/7-14S was drilled by the Bredford Dolphin rig, which will now proceed to production licence 420 in the North Sea to drill exploration well 35/9-6S where RWE Dea Norge is the operator.