Neptune Energy and its partners in the Dugong licence have started drilling on the Dugong appraisal well, located in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.
The well is being drilled by the Deepsea Yantai, a new semi-submersible rig owned by CIMC and operated by Odfjell Drilling, Neptune said on Monday.
The Dugong discovery , in Production Licence 882, was one of the largest discoveries on the Norwegian Continental Shelf in 2020.
The company estimates recoverable resources to be between 40 – 120 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe).
Neptune Energy’s Managing Director in Norway, Odin Estensen , said: “This exciting new discovery is located close to existing infrastructure and has the potential to become a new core growth area for Neptune in Norway. The ongoing activity underlines our commitment to investing in the region and to growing our presence in Norway”.
Dugong is located 158 kilometres west of Florø, Norway, at a water depth of 330 metres, and is close to the existing production facilities of the Snorre field. The reservoir lies at a depth of 3,250 – 3,400 metres.
Neptune Energy’s Director of Subsurface in Norway, Steinar Meland , said: “The main objective of the appraisal well is to collect the data necessary to help provide certainty related to the reservoir, structure and recoverable resources, so the partnership can optimise the development solution.
“Data from this well will also provide valuable information to help de-risk additional exploration and development opportunities in the licence and in the surrounding area”.
Neptune and the Dugong partners plan to drill an exploration well in the licence in the third quarter of 2021, targeting the Dugong Tail prospect.
Dugong licence partners are Neptune Energy (operator and 45%), Petrolia NOCO (20%), Idemitsu Petroleum Norge (20%), and Concedo (15%).