7220/8-1

General

Well 7220/8-1 was drilled just west of the Polheim Sub-platform and Loppa High in the Barents Sea. The main objective was to prove an economical volume of hydrocarbons and to establish hydrocarbon contacts in the Stø and Nordmela formations in the Skrugard Prospect. The targeted Skrugard fault block is one of several rotated fault blocks in the licence and a part of the Bjørnøyrenna Fault Complex.

Operations and results

A shallow 8 1/2" pre-spud well (7220/8-U-1) was drilled and logged to 955 m to check for shallow gas due to seismic anomalies around the well location. No shallow gas was encountered. After that wildcat well 7220/8-1 was spudded with the semi-submersible installation Polar Pioneer on 27 February 2011 and drilled to TD at 2222 m in the Late Triassic Snadd Formation. Drilling operations proceeded without significant problems but upon intermediate MDT logging the cable broke and about 10 days were lost fishing. The well was drilled with spud mud and hi-vis pills down to 850 m and with KCl/Polymer/Glycol from 850 m to TD.

The well penetrated Tertiary and Cretaceous Claystones and Sandstones and upper Jurassic Claystones above the reservoir. In the reservoir the well penetrated Sandstones of Jurassic age, within the Stø, Nordmela and Tubåen Formations, and of Triassic age within the Fruholmen and Snadd Formations. The primary target reservoir was penetrated with top Stø Formation at 1276 m, and top Nordmela Formation at 1354 m. These Formations contained a 37 m thick gas column (GOC at 1312 m) and an 83 m thick oil column (OWC at 1395 m). Results from the well indicate that flat spots seen on the geo-seismic section represent the gas-oil-contact (GOC) and the oil-water-contact (OWC). The Snadd Formation was p