Vår Energi Strikes Oil in Barents Sea's Countach Well

Norwegian oil company Vår Energi on Thursday confirmed the discovery of oil in the operated 7122/8-1S Countach well in production license PL229 (Goliat), northwest of Hammerfest, including updated volume estimates. 

The well, in the Barents Sea, offshore Norway, was drilled in one of the segments that form the Countach prospect. Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery in the tested segment between 0,5 – 2,1 million Sm3 (3-13 million bbls) of total recoverable oil equivalents. 

The potential of the Countach prospect, in the undrilled segments, is estimated at up to 3,7 million Sm3 (23 million bbls) of total recoverable oil equivalents. 

The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned, and the licensees will evaluate drilling an appraisal well in the future. 

Rune Oldervoll, EVP Exploration and Production at Vår Energi, says: Countach reinforces the company’s position as the leading exploration company on the Norwegian shelf. This discovery is yet another in a series of successful exploration wells in the Barents Sea in recent years, including Lupa – the largest discovery on the Norwegian shelf in 2022. 

"At the same time, the discovery confirms our exploration strategy and our position in the area. We will consider potential commercial development options and tie-in of the discovery to Goliat FPSO. Due to late arrival of the drilling rig on the field this winter, we have not been able to carry out the planned sidetrack before the environmental drilling restrictions commence on 1 March. We look forward to continuing to explore the area around Goliat at a later point in time”. 

The Countach well was drilled about 13 kilometers northeast of the Goliat field in the southern part of the Barents Sea and 91 km from Hammerfest. 

The well was drilled to a measured depth of 2958 metres and oil was encountered in the Realgrunnen and Kobbe formations. Extensive data has been collected for further assessment. Vår Energi is the operator with an ownership interest of 65%, while Equinor owns the remaining 35%.