A significant oil discovery was made by the production licence (PL) 418 partnership in the Norwegian North Sea. As partner of PL418, RWE Dea Norge AS is thereby further strengthening its position in the northern North Sea.

The drilling of exploration well 35/9-7 in PL418 in the north-eastern North Sea is in the process of being completed by operator Wintershall. The well was drilled, using the Songa Delta Rig, on the Skarfjell prospect, which is located just south the Titan discovery in PL420 and approximately 14 km southwest of the Gjøa Field. The primary exploration target for the well was to prove petroleum in Upper Jurassic reservoir rocks.

The well found Upper Jurassic reservoir sands, of very good quality containing light oil with a significant oil column. There is reasonable confidence in a preliminary resource range of between 10 and 25 million standard cubic meters of recoverable oil. The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 2,976 metres below the sea surface, and terminated in the Middle Jurassic Brent Gp / Rannoch Fm. The water depth at the site is 368 metres.

RWE Dea holds a 10 % equity interest in PL418. ”We farmed in to the license early this year as part of our strategy to strengthen our position in our core areas”, says Managing Director of RWE Dea Norge, Hans-Joachim Polk. “RWE Dea is operator of the adjacent PL420, where the promising Titan oil and gas discovery was made in 2010. I am very pleased that the current well turned out so successful”, he continues.

RWE Dea holds a broad licence portfolio, including the operated discoveries Titan in the North Sea and Zidane in the Norwegian Sea. In 2012, RWE Dea Norge has been awarded seven new licences, two of them as operator.