Statoil Spuds New Appraisal Well over Johan Sverdrup

Sweden's Lundin Petroleum reported Tuesday that drilling has commenced of appraisal well 16/2-19 on the Statoil-operated PL265 North Sea license, containing the Johan Sverdrup discovery.

Lundin said the well is located in the northern part of the Johan Sverdrup discovery. Its main objective is to investigate the Jurassic presence, reservoir thickness, quality and distribution of the northeastern edge of the discovery – around 1.5 miles north of appraisal well 16/2-12 and 2 miles southeast of appraisal well 16/2-9S.

The planned total depth of the well is approximately 6,530 feet below mean sea level. It will be drilled by the Ocean Vanguard (mid-water semisub) rig, with the operation expected to take around 45 days.

Statoil holds a 40-percent interest in PL265, with Lundin, Det norske oljeselskap and Petoro holding 10 percent, 20 percent and 30 percent respectively.