Aker BP and Equinor confirm dry well at Svarteknippa prospect in Norwegian North Sea

Aker BP and Equinor have announced that drilling operations at the Svarteknippa site in the Norwegian North Sea have concluded without any hydrocarbon discoveries. The exploration well, designated 15/6-17, was drilled using the Scarabeo 8 rig and targeted potential reserves in the Middle Jurassic Hugin and Sleipner formations. A secondary objective involved testing for reservoir presence and hydrocarbons within the Draupne and Heather formations. The operation has now been terminated, with the well permanently plugged and abandoned after failing to identify commercially viable resources.

Geological data collected during the campaign indicated that the well encountered the Vestland Group near the primary target zone. This section had a total thickness of 97 metres, comprising eight metres of sandstone characterised by moderate to poor reservoir quality. Only weak indications of hydrocarbons were detected in this area. Regarding the secondary targets, drilling penetrated 191 metres of the Draupne Formation and 104 metres of the Heather Formation but did not confirm the presence of reservoir rocks. The well reached a vertical depth of 3,704 metres below sea level before being stopped in the Triassic-age Smith Bank Formation. A core sample measuring 54 metres was secured from the Vestland Group for further analysis.

This marks the first exploration well drilled within production licence 979, which was awarded as part of the Awards in Pre-defined Areas process in 2018. The site is located 15 kilometres west of the Aker BP-operated Solveig field and 220 kilometres west of Stavanger, with a water depth of 102 metres. Aker BP holds a 60 per cent interest in the licence, while Equinor owns the remaining 40 per cent. The broader area is considered mature, with recent exploration efforts largely focused on minor discoveries near existing infrastructure. The nearby Solveig field began production in 2021 following approval of its development plan in 2019. This outcome contrasts with a separate discovery announced last month by Equinor and partners at the Skrugard North Tubåen prospect in the Barents Sea.