OREANDA-NEWS. Statoil, together with partners in the Grane Unit, has made a new oil discovery in the vicinity of the Grane field in the North Sea.
Statoil and its partners are in the process of concluding drilling operations in exploration well 25/11-27 in the Grane Unit.

Drilled by the rig Songa Trym the well proved an oil column of 20 metres in the Heimdal Formation. The estimated volume of the discovery is in the range of 18-33 million barrels of recoverable oil.
"We are pleased with having proven new very high value resources in the Grane area," says Tore Loseth, vice president for exploration in the North Sea.  "The oil discovery is located directly north of the Grane field and can be developed effectively."

Timely near-field exploration is an important element in Statoil's sharpened exploration strategy for the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). This implies exploration close to existing installations that in the near future will have spare capacity for new tie-ins.

"Near-field exploration is an important contribution in Statoil's exploration portfolio on the NCS," says Loseth. "Even though volumes in these discoveries are moderate compared with the big finds over the last few years, these are fast, high-value barrels that are important for extending the production life of existing installations."

In 2013, about 40% of Statoil's exploration wells on the NCS will be near-field exploration. In addition to the Grane area, this includes the Oseberg, Fram/Gjoa and Tampen areas.

Exploration well 25/11-27 is situated in the Grane Unit in the North Sea. Statoil is operator with an interest of 36.66%. The partners are Petoro AS (28.94%), ExxonMobil Exploration & Production Norway AS (28.22%) and ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS (6.17%).