OREANDA-NEWS. Drilling of exploration well 7220/11-1 on the Alta prospect in production licence (PL) 609 in the Barents Sea is in the process of being successfully completed. The well is located 20 km northeast of the Gohta discovery and some 160 km from the Norwegian coastline.

"This is a breakthrough discovery. RWE Dea are among a handful of companies who have had a long-term commitment to Barents Sea exploration. Alta may come to mark the turning point in establishing new, vital oil and gas infrastructure in northern Norway," says Hugo Sandal, Managing Director of RWE Dea Norge.

The main objective of well 7220/11-1 was to prove the presence of hydrocarbons in reservoir rocks of Permo-Carboniferous and Triassic age. The well encountered a gross hydrocarbon column of 55 metres, consisting of 10 metres gas and 45 metres oil in carbonate rocks of good reservoir quality.

Extensive data acquisition and sampling was carried out in the reservoir, including conventional coring and fluid sampling. Two production tests (DSTs) were performed in the oil zone, producing at a maximum rate of 518 Sm3/day oil and 48,700 Sm3/day associated gas through a 36/64" choke constrained by rig facilities. The preliminary evaluation of the gross recoverable oil and gas resources in the Alta accumulation is estimated at between 14 and 50 million Sm3 of oil and 5 and 17 billion Sm3 of gas.

"We have had a strong belief that large discoveries like this could be made here. We are very gratified to see the idea of operator Lundin verified, and look forward to continuing our Barents cooperation which started in 2007," says RWE Dea's Exploration Manager John Clark.

Exploration well 7220/11-1 is the first well drilled in PL609 after it was awarded in the 21st Concession Round in 2011. Using the semi-submersible drilling rig Island Innovator the well was drilled to a total depth of 2,221 metres below mean sea level in a water depth of 388 metres. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned. Operator is Lundin Norway with 40 % interest, and partners are RWE Dea Norge and Idemitsu Petroleum Norge, with 30% each.