Equinor Energy AS, the operator of production license 090, has successfully completed drilling wells 35/11-26 S and 35/11-26 A in the North Sea. The drilling took place approximately 4 km west of the Fram field and around 130 km northwest of Bergen.

The primary exploration objective for wildcat well 35/11-26 S was to confirm petroleum presence in sandstone within the Heather Formation from the Late Jurassic and the Brent Group from the Middle Jurassic. Additionally, the well aimed to evaluate reservoir properties within the Cook Formation from the Early Jurassic. The secondary objective was to gather reservoir data from the Lista Formation of the Palaeocene.

During drilling, well 35/11-26 S encountered a 7 m gas column and a 26 m oil column within the Heather Formation's sandstone layers, totaling 33 m. The reservoir quality was assessed as moderate to good. However, the oil/water contact was not encountered. The Brent Group and Cook Formation were found to be water-filled with varying reservoir quality.

Regarding the secondary exploration target in the Lista Formation, it was not encountered during drilling.

In the case of well 35/11-26 A, moderate to good quality sandstone reservoirs were discovered within the Heather Formation. However, this reservoir was determined to be an aquifer. Both oil and gas were identified in shallower intra-Heather sandstones across both wells.

Preliminary estimates suggest that the size of the discovery ranges between 1.5 and 5.5 million standard cubic meters (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalent. The license holders will assess the potential of the discovery in relation to existing infrastructure in the Fram area, along with other nearby discoveries.

Although the wells were not formation-tested, comprehensive data acquisition and sampling were carried out.

These wells mark the 21st and 22nd exploration wells within production license 090, which was initially granted in the 8th licensing round in 1984.

Well 35/11-26 S was drilled to a vertical depth of 3,409 m and a measured depth of 3,770 m below sea level, terminating in the Amundsen Formation from the Early Jurassic.

Well 35/11-26 A reached a vertical depth of 3,000 m and a measured depth of 3,421 m below sea level, concluding in the Late Jurassic Heather Formation.

The drilling site's water depth is 356 m, and both wells have been permanently plugged and abandoned.

The drilling operations for wells 35/11-26 S and 35/11-26 A were carried out by the Deepsea Stavanger drilling facility. The same drilling facility will proceed to drill wildcat well 30/11-15 in production license 035 within the North Sea, with Equinor Energy AS acting as the operator.