The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) announced that Aker BP and its partners have made an oil discovery near Yggdrasil field offshore Norway, following the drilling of appraisal wells 25/2-24 S, 25/2-24 A, 25/2-24 B and 25/2-24 C.

The wells are located in production licence 873, in which Aker BP holds an operatorship stake of 47.7%, Equinor 40% and PGNiG Upstream Norway 12.3%.

Following drilling to a depth of 2,029m, the 25/2-24 S well (Øst Frigg Beta) identified a 12.5m oil column in the Frigg Formation in a sandstone reservoir totalling 117m, with reservoir quality being very good to extremely good.

Terminated in Eocene sandstone layers in the Frigg Formation, the well was not formation-tested. However, data acquisition and sampling have been carried out.

The appraisal well 25/2-24 A (Øst Frigg Beta), which was drilled to a measured depth of 5,156m, showed a continuous oil column up to 20m thick. It indicated an oil/water contact at 1,945m below sea level.

Drilled to a measured depth of 4,078m, the appraisal well 25/2-24 C (Øst Frigg Alfa) validated oil in the Alfa structure. The well’s oil/water contact is anticipated at 1,949m below sea level.

Following the drilling, the appraisal well 25/2-24 B (Epsilon) identified a continuous oil column about 14m thick with overlying gas cap of up to 30m in the Epsilon structure.

NPD said in a statement: “Here too, the Frigg Formation exhibited very good to extremely good reservoir properties. The gas/oil contact was encountered 1,935m below sea level and the oil/water contact was encountered at 1,949m below sea level.”

As per the preliminary estimates, the total volume of the Epsilon and Øst Frigg structures ranges between 8.5 and 14.3 million cubic metres of recoverable oil equivalent.

The licensees plan to assess the deposits as part of the Yggdrasil area development.

The wells have been drilled using the Scarabeo 8 drilling facility. The drilling rig is now planned to drill wildcat well 6405/7-2 S in production licence 1005.