Equinor, DNO and Petoro have discovered oil and gas in wildcat well 31/1-4 (Ringand) in the North Sea, drilled by the Deepsea Atlantic rig, according to the Norwegian Offshore Directorate.
Preliminary estimates indicate the size of the discovery is between 0.3 and two million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalent, which corresponds to 1.9-12.6 million barrels.
The licensees said they have assessed the previous discoveries as commercially profitable, and they will consider development solutions tied back to existing infrastructure.
Well 31/1-4 encountered a 112-metre gas column in the Ness, Etive and Oseberg formations, as well as a 16-metre oil column in the Oseberg Formation.
The gas/oil contact was encountered at 3,489 metres and the oil/water contact was encountered at 3,505 metres below sea level.
Well 31/1-4 was drilled to a vertical depth of 3,772 metres below sea level, and was terminated in the Amundsen Formation in the Lower Jurassic.
Water depth at the site is 304 metres. Equinor said the well has been permanently plugged and abandoned.