Equinor, operator of production licence 094, has proven petroleum in wildcat well 6506/12-PB-3 H.
The well tested the 'Smørbukk Midt' prospect, located between Smørbukk and Smørbukk Sør about 250 kms southwest of Brønnøysund.
Preliminary calculations indicate the size of the discovery is between 1 - 3 million standard cubic metres of recoverable oil equivalent. This corresponds to between 6.3 and 18.9 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent.
The licensees aim to connect the discovery to Smørbukk Sør, which is part of the Åsgard field.
This is the 15th exploration well in production licence 094, which was awarded on 9 March 1984 (8th licensing round on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS)).
Well 6506/12-PB-3 H was drilled by the Transocean Encourage drilling rig, which will now continue the drilling of production well 6506/12-PB-3 AH in the Garn Formation at the same location.
Geological information
The well's primary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks in the Ile and Garn formations (the Fangst Group).
The secondary target was to collect data in reservoir rocks from the Late Cretaceous (the Lysing Formation).
Well 6406/12-PB-3-H encountered an approx. 54-metre condensate/light oil column in the Garn Formation in sandstone with moderate to good reservoir properties. The reservoir was about 94 metres thick, and the petroleum/water contact was not encountered.
66 metres of gas/condensate was also proven in the Ile Formation in a sandstone reservoir with moderate to good reservoir properties. The reservoir was about 75 metres thick, and the petroleum/water contact was not encountered.
The well was not formation-tested.
The well was drilled to respective measured and vertical depths of 4991 and 4218 metres below sea level, and was terminated in the Ror Formation in the Middle Jurassic.
Source: Norwegian Offshore Directorate
Updated: 8/29/2025
