Equinor has discovered 8-14 million Sm³ of oil equivalents during its Ørn exploration, 12 kilometers southwest of the Marulk field. The find corresponds to 50-88 million boe.

Drilling was carried out at site 6507/2-5 S by the West Phoenix rig on behalf of Equinor, which holds the operator license and owns a 40 percent stake of product license 942 along with Aker BP and Wellesley, which each own a 30 percent share.

"This is good news. The Ørn discovery proves that there are still opportunities on the Norwegian continental shelf and reconfirms the Norwegian Sea’s importance to our domestic activity," writes Equinor Senior Vice President of Exploration in Norway and the UK Nick Ashton in a press release.

Another feather in the cap

The drilling took place at a sea depth of 332 meters, and the deposit was located at 4,147-4,191 meters below sea level.

"The discovery follows several discoveries we have made in the same area during the past years, adding considerable volumes in an area with an already developed infrastructure. This gives us the opportunity to recover the resources profitably for both the licensees and society," Ashton says.

This comes as fortunate news for the sector, which has become accustomed to disappointing announcements from the Norwegian shelf. The first half of 2019 has seen 30 drillings at wildcat wells, but only six of these made discoveries. Four finds were in the North Sea, while two were in the Norwegian Sea.

Equinor was behind most of these finds and can now put another feather in its cap with the Ørn discovery.

English Edit: Daniel Frank Christensen

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