Var Energi Makes Commercial Discovery in Cerisa Offshore Norway

Vår Energi ASA has reported a successful discovery at its operated Cerisa exploration well in production license PL 636 offshore Norway.Var Energi confirmed estimated gross recoverable resources of between 18 million and 39 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe), the company said in a news release.

The company remarked that this is the fourth discovery in a row close to the partly electrified Vår Energi operated Gjøa platform. Together with previous discoveries in Gjøa North and Ofelia/Kyrre, Cerisa is a candidate to be tied into the Gjøa field by use of existing infrastructure in the area. Combined, the discoveries have estimated gross recoverable resources of up to 110 MMboe, according to the release.The Gjøa field is about 49.7 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Florø. The Cerisa discovery is located 10.6 miles (17 kilometers) northeast of the Vår Energi-operated Gjøa platform and 3.1 miles (five kilometers) from the Duva subsea template.

The Cerisa exploration well and three additional side-track appraisal wells were drilled by the semi-submersible drilling rig Deepsea Yantai. The oil-water contact was not encountered in the wells drilled, implying possible upside to the estimated resource range, Var Energi noted.“The Gjøa area constitutes a key part of the Company’s hub strategy on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The Cerisa discovery is a testament to our consistent and successful exploration strategy, targeting high value barrels close to existing infrastructure.

It clearly demonstrates the potential to unlock further resources in the area and adds to the value accretive synergies resulting from the Neptune transaction. It adds more high value, low carbon barrels supporting our target to deliver between 350-400 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day from 2025 and beyond. This discovery will now be assessed together with the other discoveries around Gjøa, where the Gjøa North and Ofelia/Kyrre developments are already ongoing”, says Vår Energi COO, Torger Rød.

Over the past five years, Vår Energi said it has had a discovery rate of over 50 percent, with finding costs of less than $1 per barrel post tax. The discovery supports the company’s plans for continuous development of the North Sea as a long-term production hub for. The Cerisa discovery is currently being included as part of the Gjøa North and Ofelia/Kyrre project team to enable a fast-track delivery of these four discoveries into production, the company said.

The license partners in the asset are Vår Energi as the operator with a 30 percent stake, Inpex Idemitsu Norge AS with 30 percent, PGNiG Upstream Norway AS with 30 percent, and Sval Energi AS with 10 percent.In April, Vår Energi confirmed the discovery of oil in the Balder area in the Central North Sea.The company’s latest Ringhorne North exploration well in production license PL 956, which it operates, was successful with estimated recoverable resources of between 13 million and 23 million barrels of oil, Var Energi said in an earlier statement.

The Ringhorne North exploration well and two additional side-track/appraisal wells were drilled by the semi-submersible rig Deepsea Yantai in the Central North Sea, five miles (eight kilometers) north of the Vår Energi-operated Ringhorne field, about 124 miles (200 kilometers) northwest of Stavanger, according to the release. Var Energi stated that it considers the discovery a potential commercial candidate to be tied into nearby existing infrastructure in the Balder area.

Source:https://www.rigzone.com