A further gas discovery has been made by Statoil in the Norwegian Barents Sea, close to the operator’s Johan Castberg field development – although the operator admitted it had been hoping for oil.

The company and its partners Eni Norge and Petoro said that well 7219/8-2 on the Iskrystall (Ice Crystal) prospect in Production License 608 proved an approximate 200 m (656 ft) gas column. The probe was drilled by the West Hercules rig, with Statoil estimating the volumes in Iskrystall to be between 6 and 25 MMboe.

Iskrystall was the second of the four prospects to be drilled in the Johan Castberg area this year, with the aim of proving additional volumes for the development. The first prospect drilled, Nunatak, resulted in a small gas discovery.

"Our main goal was to find oil in Iskrystall, but unfortunately it did not materialise. We still believe we can prove more oil resources in the Johan Castberg area and will continue our exploration effort with two more wells in the Skavl and Kramsnø prospects,” said Gro G. Haatvedt, senior vice president exploration Norway.

A comprehensive data acquisition program was performed in the Iskrystall well including coring, wire line logging and fluid sampling.

Statoil and its partners in the Johan Castberg project decided in June this year to delay an investment decision in order to further mature the resource base and field development plans. In addition there are uncertainties in the tax frame work for the project, it added. The company says it is necessary to conclude the remaining exploration wells and ongoing work on field development plans before the partners are ready to make an investment decision for the project.

The West Hercules rig will now move back to PL 532 to drill the Skavl prospect, which is located approximately 5 km south of the Skrugard discovery (which is part of the Johan Castberg development plan).

Statoil is the operator of PL 608 with a 50% share, with Eni holding 30% and Petoro 20%.