Wintershall Dea completes appraisal well on Bergknapp discovery in Norway

Picture Credit Wintershall Dea/Thor Oliversen

• Updated resource estimate of 44 – 75 million BOE for the Bergknapp oil discovery

• Updated estimate of 6 – 25 million BOE for the deeper Åre Formation discovery

• Both discoveries will be evaluated as potential subsea developments

Wintershall Dea, in collaboration with its partners DNO Norge and Equinor, has successfully completed the drilling of an appraisal well at the Bergknapp discovery in the Norwegian Sea. The team is now assessing potential field development options. The Bergknapp discovery, part of the PL836S licence, is situated in a strategic area for Wintershall Dea in Norway, 8 kilometres west of the operated Maria field and 200 kilometres north of Kristiansund on Norway’s west coast. It is in close proximity to several other producing fields.

“In recent years, we have had achieved significant success with our strategy of exploring areas where we have in-depth subsurface knowledge and access to existing infrastructure. The focused exploration strategy maximises our chances of making commercial discoveries and also shortens the time required for their development,” said Michael Zechner, Managing Director of Wintershall Dea Norge. “We take pride in our expertise in subsea developments, and see the potential to create value for Wintershall Dea, our partners and the entire Norwegian society.”

Oil and Gas Discoveries

The appraisal well, completed by the Transocean Norge rig in early December, was drilled to minimise volumetric and subsurface uncertainties in the Bergknapp discovery, including the underlying discovery in the Åre Formation.

The updated recoverable resource estimate for the oil discovery in the Garn, Ile and Tilje formations is between 44 million and 75 million barrels of oil equivalent, while estimates for the underlying Åre Formation discovery are between 6 and 25 million barrels of oil equivalent.  

Wintershall Dea originally discovered oil in the Bergknapp prospect in 2020, followed by a gas discovery in the deeper Åre Formation during a successful re-entry and sidetrack in 2021.

Core Area

The PL836S Bergknapp licence is located 200 kilometres north of Kristisansund in the Haltenbanken region of the Norwegian Sea. This a core area for Wintershall Dea, containing the operated Maria and Dvalin fields, as well as the Dvalin North development, the Adriana-Sabina discovery, and several exploration licences.

The Transocean Norge rig, under a long-term contract for Wintershall Dea and OMV, will now move to the nearby Wintershall Dea operated PL211 CS licence, where it will drill another appraisal well on the Adriana and Sabina discoveries.

“We have a strong belief in the potential of this area and will continue to leverage our existing position here to invest in new exploration and development opportunities,” said Roy Davies, VP Exploration for Wintershall Dea Norge.

Wintershall Dea is the operator of the PL836S Bergknapp licence with a 40 per cent share, while partners Equinor and DNO Norge each hold 30 per cent.