Wellesley Petroleum notes the NPD (Norwegian Petroleum Directorate) announcement of the drilling results of exploration well 35/10-10 S and appraisal sidetrack well 35/10-10 A, operated by Wellesley. Drilling took place in licence PL1148 (Wellesley 50%, DNO 30%, Equinor 10%, AkerBP 10%) with the Deepsea Yantai rig. The wells were targeting the Carmen prospect and resulted in a commercial hydrocarbon discovery.
Well 35/10-10 S encountered a 210m gas-condensate column in the Ness, Etive and Oseberg formations, 90m of which is in sandstone layers with poor to good permeability. A 70m gas-condensate column was encountered in the Cook Formation, 23 m of which is sandstone with poor permeability. A 13m light oil column was also found in sandstones in the Early Jurassic Amundsen Formation. No formation water was encountered in the well.
Well 35/10-10 A was drilled down-dip, 900 m west of the main bore, and encountered a 240m gas and volatile oil column in Ness, Etive, Oseberg and Cook formations, 50m of which is in sandstone layers with generally poor permeability. The well also encountered water-filled sandstone of good reservoir quality in the Cook Fm. A gas-water contact was not encountered in the well.
Wellesley estimates that the drilling campaign has proved a developable gas-condensate accumulation of 60-100mmboe. Development planning will now begin to align with the schedules of other developments in the area, including Toppand (Wellesley 5%), Swisher (Wellesley 30%), Grosbeak (Wellesley 5%) and Atlantis.
Additionally, information from the 35/10-A appraisal well indicates the possibility for significant upside volumes, with up to 300mmboe potentially being recoverable in and around the accumulation, subject to successful exploration and appraisal activity.
(Source: Wellesley – Image: Deepsea Yantai semi-submersible)