North Sea oil and gas discoveries see increased resource estimates

A consortium consisting of Aker BP, Equinor, and DNO has increased the estimated size of the Verdandi and Lillefix hydrocarbon discoveries in the Norwegian North Sea. Following an appraisal drilling campaign at the 16/1-EA-4 H well, preliminary calculations now project recoverable resources between 1.3 and 2.4 million standard cubic metres of oil equivalent, or approximately 8 to 15 million barrels. This is an increase from previous estimates of 0.6 to 1.9 million standard cubic metres (4 to 12 million barrels).

The drilling operation was conducted approximately 200 kilometres west of Stavanger using Odfjell Drilling’s Deepsea Nordkapp rig. The well was drilled horizontally from a subsea template connected to the Symra field, targeting the Palaeocene Heimdal Formation. The operation successfully identified a 14-metre gas column and a 44-metre oil column within sandstone layers, reaching a total vertical depth of 1,864 metres below sea level.