A new appraisal well has lifted estimated recoverable gas and condensate volumes at the Afrodite discovery to 77–180 million barrels of oil equivalent. The tight, low-permeability reservoir will now be assessed for development options.
An appraisal well at the Afrodite discovery in the Norwegian North Sea has more than doubled the previous estimate of recoverable volumes, Equinor reports. The discovery, first made in 2008, lies around 35 km northeast of the Kvitebjørn field.
Preliminary estimates put recoverable gas and condensate at 12–29 million standard cubic metres of oil equivalent, equivalent to 77–180 million barrels of oil equivalent. Total reservoir volumes are estimated to be about three times higher, but only part of the resource may be recoverable.
Appraisal confirms gas and condensate
Well 35/7-2 encountered a 69 m gas and condensate column in the Tarbert Formation and upper Ness Formation, as well as a 4 m column in the lower Ness Formation. The reservoir rocks were described as poor quality, and the gas–water contact was not reached. The Etive Formation was found to be aquiferous, with poor reservoir properties.
Afrodite is a high-pressure, high-temperature well in a tight reservoir with low permeability, making the resources challenging to produce. Extensive data were collected during drilling, including through the use of new acquisition technology, to support further reservoir evaluation.
Equinor considers the discovery commercially viable and will assess a possible subsea development tied back to the Kvitebjørn platform. If developed, gas could be transported through existing infrastructure to the Kollsnes processing plant and onward to European markets. Wellesley Petroleum operated the appraisal well; Equinor operates production licence PL293.
