In the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, Neptune Energy and its partners recently announced the discovery of a new commercial well (PL 929).

During the drilling of the Ofelia well, 35/6-3 S, Neptune encountered oil in the Agat formation.

It is estimated that 2.5-6.2 million standard cubic meters of recoverable volume can be recovered.

Ofelia is located 15 km north of the working Gjøa platform at a depth of 344 meters, and could be developed as a tie-back to Gjøa, in parallel with Hamlet’s recent oil and gas discovery.

Neptune Energy’s Managing Director for Norway and the UK, Odin Estensen, said: “I am pleased to announce our second discovery in four months which further enhances Neptune’s position in the Greater Gjøa Area.

Neptune Energy’s Director of Exploration & Development in Norway, Steinar Meland, added: “The Ofelia discovery underlines the strength of our exploration strategy and confirms the high prospectivity potential of the area around Gjøa, where we have several more exciting exploration opportunities.”

The Deepsea Yantai, a semi-submersible drilling rig owned by CIMC and run by Odfjell Drilling, was used to drill Ofelia.