Norway Pushes for Reentry into Gro Gas Discovery

Norway's upstream oil and gas regulator is courting companies to reevaluate the Gro natural gas discovery, drilled by Shell PLC and later relinquished by Equinor ASA, in the Norwegian Sea.

Gro, or well 6603/12-1, "is one of the largest undeveloped gas discoveries on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS)", the Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD) said in an online statement Wednesday. "There is a considerable value creation potential here but time is running out".

The statement disclosed the NOD had hired Terra Stream Energy GmbH to study the discovery. "All relevant subsurface topics were assessed in the study, which shows three static models covering the volume range in the discovery", the NOD said, adding results would be made available to NCS companies.

"This can shed light on how we understand Gro and give the industry access to static geo-models they can work to refine further", said Arne Jacobsen, NOD technology and subsurface assistant director.

"The companies can use this study to evaluate the potential of the discovery on its own or as part of an area solution", Jacobsen added. "The next opportunity to apply is the upcoming round of awards in pre-defined areas (APA)".

The NOD said it had placed early estimates for recoverable gas at 10-100 billion cubic meters (353.15 billion cubic feet). "The size has now been projected at about 52 billion Sm3 [standard cubic meters] of gas in place", the statement said.

"Shell discovered Gro in 2009, and the discovery was delineated in 2010. The seismic company TGS acquired a new data set in 2019. In 2021, the discovery was relinquished to the authorities from then-licensees Equinor and Wintershall", the NOD recalled. "These efforts are based on both old and new seismic".

Shell's campaign drilled into a total depth (TD) of 3,830 meters (12,565.62 feet) in the Late Cretaceous Springar Formation in the Norwegian Atlantic Margin, according to the NOD's online info page about the wellbore.

"No shallow gas was encountered. The well was drilled with Seawater and hi-vis sweeps down to 2,359m, with Glydril mud from 2,359m to 3,509m, and with Paratherm oil-based mud from 3,509m to TD", the page says.

"The well penetrated rocks of Quaternary, Tertiary and Cretaceous age. Top Maastrichtian Springar Formation came in at 3,505m with the target Springar Formation sandstone member at 3,704m, 40m shallower than prognosed. The Springar Formation sandstone member was gas-bearing with a 15m gas column from the top down to 3,720m. Poor pressure data did not allow estimation of the true OWC".

Jacobsen said "the discovery needs to be tied back to the Åsta Hansteen field while we still have infrastructure in the area. In 10 years, it could be too late".

"Gro is yet another in a long line of gas discoveries that remain undeveloped for various reasons. Many of them are in tight reservoirs, which makes production challenging", Jacobsen added.

In the latest APA round Norway's Energy Ministry awarded a production license containing the Victoria discovery of 2000. Estimated to contain up to 140 billion cubic meters of tight gas, Victoria could be a "game-changer", Poland's majority state-owned ORLEN SA, part of the consortium that won the license, said in a press release January 13, 2026.

"The former shareholders of the Victoria discovery relinquished the license after drilling an appraisal well in 2009, citing challenging reservoir properties in a high-pressure/high-temperature environment that resulted in low production rate estimates from the conventional completion technology available at the time", ORLEN said. "Today, ORLEN, who is establishing a new joint venture alongside Aker BP, Equinor and Harbour Energy, believes that achieving economic production rates from Victoria may now be possible".

"Upstream technologies have advanced in recent years such that there is an increased confidence in well stimulation within offshore HPHT [high-pressure/high-temperature] environments", said ORLEN board member Wieslaw Prugar. "Victoria is one of the largest undeveloped gas discoveries on the Norwegian shelf.

"If the revitalized approach to Victoria of our joint venture is successful, this would enable access to other unconventional gas discoveries currently stranded on the Norwegian continental shelf, whose combined in-place resources are estimated at over 800 billion cubic meters of gas.  Our involvement in the Victoria project will give us a strong position to pursue similar opportunities in the future".

To contact the author, email jov.onsat@rigzone.com