Total E&P Norge AS will complete the drilling of wildcat well 25/6-5 S near the Skirne Field in the central North Sea, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate said April 10.

The company operates production license 627, where the well was drilled about 7 km (4 miles) east of the field and about 170 km (106 miles) northwest of Stavanger, Norway.

Well 25/6-5 S hit a 10-m (33-ft) gas column in the Hugin Formation in Middle Jurassic reservoir rocks. Data was acquired, and the discovery is estimated to hold between 0.4 MMcm (14 MMcf) and 1.5 MMcm (53 MMcf) of recoverable oil equivalents, the directorate said.

This is the first exploration well in the license, and the well was drilled to vertical depths ranging between 2,520 m (8,268 ft) and 2,366 m (7,762 ft). It was terminated in the Dunlin Formation in Lower Jurassic, in 120 m (394 ft) of water.

The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned.

The Leiv Eiriksson drilled Well 25/6 5 S, and it will now drill a Barents Sea wildcat well, 7324/8-2, in production license 537. OMV (Norge) AS operates that license.