Lille John-1 exploration well discovers oil in the Danish North Sea
PA Resources UK Limited discovered oil in sandstones of Miocene age in the Lille John-1 exploration well.
As operator of Licence 12/06 PA Resources UK Limited has drilled the Lille John-1 (5504/20-05) exploration well in the south-westernmost part of the Danish North Sea. The well discovered oil in sandstones of Miocene age as well as weak hydrocarbon indications in chalk of presumed Danian age. The Miocene play is fairly underexplored in the Danish sector and the exciting Lille John-1 discovery may become the first development of hydrocarbons from a Miocene reservoir in Denmark.
Lille John-1 was drilled as a near-vertical well and encountered oil in sandstones of Miocene age. Sidewall cores and samples were collected and extensive measurements carried out. When drilling the Lower Palaeocene section the well had to be sidetracked twice as Lille John-1A and Lille John-1B, respectively. The Lille John-1B well was drilled through the chalk section where weak hydrocarbon indications were found in non-reservoir rock and reached its total depth in Zechstein salt at 1307 metres vertically below mean sea level.
The oil companies will now evaluate the results of Lille John-1 and make plans for the additional work that is necessary to determine if the oil discovery can be produced commercially.
Lille John-1 was spudded on 10 September 2011 with the jack-up rig ENSCO 70 at the position 55° 24' 39.62" N; 04° 49' 37.275" E (UTM zone 31; 6 142 182.14 N; 615 672.86 E), where the water depth is 45 metres.
The following companies participate in Licence 12/06:
Company Share (%)PA Resources UK Ltd.
64
Spyker Energy ApS
8
Danoil Exploration A/S
8
Nordsøfonden
20
The well is now being plugged and abandoned. The jack-up rig ENSCO 70 will subsequently leave the Danish sector.
Contact: Geologist Mette Søndergaard; Office phone: (+45) 33 92 76 02, e-mail: mes@ens.dk
