First well in North Sea’s PL 507 turns up dry

Tullow Oil Norge, operator of the production license PL 507, did not encounter hydrocarbons in the Lupus exploration well (31/10-1), which will now be plugged and abandoned. The well is located 35 km southeast of the Oseberg Sør Field and 110 km west of the island of Sotra in the North Sea. This is the first well in production license PL 507.

The primary objective of the Lupus-1 wildcat exploration well was to find hydrocarbons in the Paleocene Hermod Formation in a stratigraphic trap. The well also targeted reservoir-quality sandstones of the Paleocene Ty Formation of the Rogaland Group. The well found good-quality sandstones in the Paleocene Hermod Formation, but no hydrocarbons were encountered. No sandstones were found in the Paleocene Ty Formation. The well will now be plugged and abandoned, and well data will be used to calibrate geological and geophysical uncertainties and reduce risks in future exploration wells.

The well was drilled to a TD of 2,357 m by Dolphin Drilling’s semisubmersible Borgland Dolphin in a water depth of 121 meters.

Tullow Oil Norge has 60% equity in PL 507. Its partners are Explora Petroleum (20%),Ithaca Energy (10%) and North Energy (10%).