Equinor, Aker BP Discover Oil in North Sea's Munin Field

Equinor Energy AS has discovered oil in the first exploration well in production license 272 B in the North Sea’s Munin field, near Oseberg and Bergen.

Equinor drilled exploration well 30/12-3 S on behalf of Aker BP, which is the operator of the production license. The well also included a sidetrack, 30/12-3 A, which was dry, according to a news release Monday from the Norwegian Offshore Directorate. The wells were drilled using a Deepsea Stavanger drilling rig about 24.8 miles (40 kilometers) south of Oseberg and 93.2 miles (150 kilometers) west of Bergen.

Between 5.3 million and 19.4 million cubic feet (0.15 and 0.55 million standard cubic meters) of recoverable oil equivalent was proven in well 30/12-3 S. However, the agency said that preliminary calculations show that the discovery “is not profitable with current price assumptions”.

The objective of wildcat wells 30/12-3 S and 30/12-3 A was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks in the Tarbert Formation, according to the release. Well 30/12-3 S encountered a 11.5-foot (3.5-meter) oil column in the Tarbert Formation, in a sandstone reservoir with moderate reservoir quality. The oil/water contact was encountered 10,203 feet (3110 meters) below sea level. The wells were not formation-tested, but data acquisition was undertaken, the directorate noted.

Aker BP and Equinor each have a 50 percent ownership interest in the production license, which was awarded in APA 2018. The production license is part of the Munin field, which was discovered in 2011. The authorities approved the plan for development and operation (PDO) for Munin in June 2023.

License Awards in APA 2023

In the APA 2023, the Norwegian Ministry of Energy offered 62 new production licenses on the Norwegian Continental, compared to 47 in the previous year. Of the 62 production licenses offered in APA 2023, 29 are located in the North Sea, 25 in the Norwegian Sea, and eight in the Barents Sea.

Equinor was awarded 39 new production licenses by the ministry in the latest round, with 18 licenses in the North Sea, 13 in the Norwegian Sea, and 8 in the Barents Sea. Equinor is the operator of 14 of the awarded licenses, and a partner in 25, according to a separate news release.

"We are pleased with the award. These licenses give Equinor and our partners new opportunities to further develop the Norwegian continental shelf as an energy province”, Equinor Senior Vice President Jez Avery said. “We are familiar with the geology and confident that we will make new discoveries”.

"Continued active exploration is necessary in order to reduce the production decline that will occur on the NCS. Phasing in oil and gas from new discoveries will secure long-term activity and contribute to energy security in the European and UK energy transition”, Averty added.

Meanwhile, Aker BP was awarded 27 licenses in APA 2023, with 17 of the licenses granting operatorship, which the company said “consolidates our position as the most active independent exploration company on the NCS”.

“We are very pleased with the award that was announced today. It reflects our comprehensive application and gives us a foundation for maintaining our ambitious exploration strategy”, Aker BP SVP for Exploration and Reservoir Development Per Øyvind Seljebotn said.

“Our strategy is to have a portfolio of acreage that provides a good balance between exploration wells close to existing infrastructure, and wells that can lay the foundation for independent developments if we make discoveries. For some of the exploration prospects, we are particularly targeting gas. It is more important than ever that Norway produce sgas to secure the energy supply to Europe”, Seljebotn added.

Read the latest issue of the OGV Energy magazine HERE