26-06-08 Talisman Energy Norge, operator of production licence 038, is in the process of concluding drilling of wildcat well 15/12-20 S. The well is located 0.5 km west of the Varg field in the North Sea.
The well's primary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Upper Triassic reservoir rocks. The secondary exploration target was to prove petroleum in Upper to Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks. No petroleum was proven in the primary target, but a small oil column was discovered in the secondary target.

The size of the discovery is between 0.1-0.25 mm cm recoverable oil. The well was not formation-tested, but extensive data collection and sampling were carried out. The licensees have already decided to produce the discovery via the Varg field from 5 July 2008, following fast-track approval by the authorities.
This well was the ninth exploration well in production licence 038, which was awarded as a supplement to the 3rd licensing round in 1975.

The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 3090 m below the sea surface, and was concluded in the Skagerrak formation in the Upper Triassic. The water depth at the site was 84 m, and the well was drilled as a sidetrack from an existing Varg well.
Well 15/12-20 S was drilled by the jack-up rig Maersk Giant, which will now drill a new production well on the Varg field where Talisman Energy Norge is the operator.

Participating interest:
Det Norske Oljeselskap (DNO) 5.0 %
Petoro 30.0 %
Talisman Energy Norge 65.0 %