Equinor and its partners have drilled a dry wildcat well in the Snorre area of the North Sea, according to information from the Norwegian Offshore Directorate. The well, 34/6-9 S, also known as "Avbitertang," was drilled in production licence 554, approximately 35 kilometres northeast of the Snorre field.
The well is the ninth wildcat drilled within the licence and the third dry exploration well drilled in this specific area this year, following wells 34/8-20 S and 34/6-8 S. The objective was to prove petroleum in Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks in the Cook Formation.
The well encountered the Cook Formation with a total thickness of about 106 metres, 39 metres of which was of moderate to good reservoir quality. However, the well is classified as dry. Data, including pressure points, was collected from the formation.
The well was drilled by the COSL Innovator rig to a vertical depth of 4,001 metres below sea level and was terminated in the Burton Formation. The water depth at the site is 387 metres. The well has now been permanently plugged and abandoned.