Wintershall Dea Wraps Begknapp Appraisal Drilling. Eyes Tie-back to Nearby Platforms (Norway)

Oil and gas firm Wintershall Dea has completed the drilling of an appraisal well on the Bergknapp oil discovery in the Norwegian Sea.

Wintershall Dea made the Bergknam discovery in April 2020, using Saipem's Scarabeo 8 offshore drilling rig.

The appraisal well was drilled using Odfjell Drilling's Deepsea Aberdeen semi-submersible rig.

Wintershall Dea said Monday that the re-entry and appraisal wells confirmed the oil discoveries in the Garn and Tilje Formations and proved an additional gas accumulation in the Åre Formation. 

"Following the completion of the appraisal well, the size of the Garn and Tilje Formation discoveries is estimated to be between 40 and 84 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent, whereas the Åre Formation is estimated to hold an additional 13 million to 56 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent," the company said.

The Bergknapp discovery is located 200 kilometers north of Kristiansund and 8 kilometers west of the Wintershall Dea operated Maria oil field in an area close to existing infrastructure. The licence consortium will now evaluate potential development options.

Hugo Dijkgraaf, Wintershall Dea Chief Technology Officer and responsible board member for Exploration said: "We are excited that we have made another discovery in the Haltenbanken area in the Norwegian Sea. We will now work closely with our partners to bring the project to the final investment decision and successfully drive the development of the prospect.” 

The Bergknapp appraisal well is the second operated exploration well for Wintershall Dea in Norway in 2021, following the nearby Dvalin North discovery in PL 211 made in May 2021. 

“Bergknapp is an important discovery that contributes to our strong position in this area of the Norwegian Shelf. With Maria and the nearby Dvalin field, we already have an established position as a major operator in the Haltenbanken area,” said Alv Solheim, Managing Director of Wintershall Dea Norge. “Bergknapp and Dvalin North will further strengthen this position”, Solheim added.

The Deepsea Aberdeen rig will now move to the Wintershall Dea operated Vega field in the North Sea.

Wintershall Dea is the operator of the PL 836S Bergknapp license with a 40% share. Partners Spirit Energy and DNO Norge hold 30% each.