Avaldsnes News

1806  - Spring pole cable drilling developed in US. 1844  - Fluid circulating rotary well drilling patented in England. 1845  - Circulated fluid used to remove drill cuttings for first time. 1860  - Fluid circulation rotary diamond coring drill developed in France. 1869 – T homas Fitch Rowland  patents  a “submarine drilling apparatus,” a fixed, working platform for drilling offshore to a depth of almost 50 feet. The anchored tower had telescoping legs, similar to modern offshore platforms. 1878  - First bulk oil tanker begins operation in the Caspian Sea. 1891  - First ocean-going tanker launched. 1897  - Wells drilled off piers in Summerland, Calif. 1905 – Oil discovered in the Caddo Pine Island field in Lousiana. 1911  -  Gulf Refining Co.

Statoil has made a significant gas and condensate discovery in the King Lear prospect in the southern part of the Norwegian North Sea along with its partner Total E&P Norge. Exploration well 2/4-21 drilled by the jack-up rig Maersk Gallant in production licences 146 and 333, has proven a 48-metre gas/condensate column in the main bore 2/4-21 and an additional 70-metre gas/condensate column in the side-track 2/4-21A. Statoil estimates the total volumes in King Lear to be between 70 and 200 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent (o.e.).

Statoil has awarded Aker Solutions early phase studies for all their recent major discoveries on the Norwegian Continental Shelf; the Skrugard and Havis fields in the Barents Sea and the Johan Sverdrup discovery in the North Sea. Contract values are undisclosed. The past year has been unique, with Johan Sverdrup (formerly named Aldous/Avaldsnes) as the largest out of several new discoveries in mature areas in the North Sea, and the renewed optimism for exploration in the Barents Sea, with the Skrugard and Havis discoveries.

Statoil's third quarter 2011 net operating income was NOK 39.3 billion, a 39% increase compared to NOK 28.2 billion in the third quarter of 2010. "Statoil delivered strong financial results in the third quarter of 2011, reflecting operational performance in line with expectations and strong oil and gas prices throughout the period," says Helge Lund, Statoil's chief executive officer. Statoil presented the long term strategy and long term growth outlook on its capital markets day in June 2011…

Statoil, together with partners Petoro AS, Det norske oljeselskap ASA and Lundin Norway AS, has drilled the Aldous Major North prospect (PL 265) in the North Sea. Samples taken from well 16/2-9S, drilled by the rig Transocean Leader, have proved a column of oil of up to 8 metres in formations dating from the Upper Jurassic period. Due to the limited reservoir quality, the partnership will consider further exploration drilling on Aldous Major North in order to clarify the structure’s potential. Well 16/2-9S was drilled some 12 kilometres north of the Aldous Major South oil discovery (16/2-8).

Communication between the Aldous and Avaldsnes oil discoveries in the North Sea has now been confirmed. In combination these discoveries may represent an oil structure of between 500 million and 1.2 billion barrels of recoverable oil equivalent. If the upper part of the interval strikes pay dirt, the discovery will be one of the ten largest oil finds ever on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). Statoil (OSE: STL, NYSE: STO) has a 40% stake both in licence PL 265, where Aldous was discovered, and in PL 501, where the Avaldsnes discovery was made.

Statoil ASA and partners Petoro AS, Det norske oljeselskap ASA and Lundin Norway AS have made a high-impact oil discovery on the Aldous Major South prospect (PL 265) in the North Sea. Well 16/2-8, drilled by the Transocean Leader drilling rig, has identified an approximately 65-meter oil column in Jurassic sandstone. The acquired data confirm that this is a reservoir of excellent quality. Statoil has previously described the well as a high-impact well, and the result confirms…