OMV’s recent gas discovery in the Norwegian Sea has significant implications for the region’s energy landscape. Located approximately 65 kilometers from the existing infrastructure of the Polarled pipeline and the Aasta Hansteen field, this find suggests a promising future for gas production and potential tiebacks to the Aasta Hansteen spar platform.
Drilling operations by OMV Norway, the operator of production license 1194, have successfully captured gas in the Haydn/Monn exploration prospects. The Transocean Norge rig, a converted and certified low-emission drilling unit, played a crucial role in this drilling campaign. The well, designated 6605/6-1 S, reached a substantial vertical depth of 4,641 meters and a measured depth of 5,123 meters below sea level.
The primary exploration target for this well aimed to prove petroleum in Upper Cretaceous reservoir rocks within the Springar Formation. Preliminary estimates indicate that the well encountered substantial gas columns, with approximately 20 meters of continuous gas in sandstone reservoir rocks. Notably, this gas column showed no gas-water contact, indicating high reservoir quality.
Additionally, gas-filled sandstone layers totaling around 11 meters were encountered in the lower part of the Springar Formation. The secondary exploration target in the Nise Formation revealed a 5-meter gas column in sandstone reservoir rocks with moderate reservoir quality.
While formation testing was not conducted, extensive data acquisition and samplingwere carried out during the drilling process. The well has since been permanently plugged and abandoned.
OMV’s commitment to focusing on gas as a transition fuel underscores the company’s aim to contribute to a more sustainable energy mix. By leveraging existing infrastructure for potential subsea developments to the Aasta Hansteen host platform, OMV intends to speed up planning and execution, while reducing development costs and carbon footprint.
Berislav Gašo, OMV’s executive vice president of energy, highlighted that this discovery could unlock significant potential in the area and extend the life of the