Gro G. Haatvedt, Statoil's Senior Vice President Exploration Norway

Statoil ASA has together with its partners Eni Norge AS and Petoro AS made a gas discovery in the Iskrystall prospect in PL608 in the Barents Sea.

Well 7219/8-2, drilled by the drilling rig West Hercules, has proved an approximately 200 metre gas column. Statoil estimates the volumes in Iskrystall to be between 6 and 25 million barrels of oil equivalents (o.e.).

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 Johan Castberg field development project. The first prospect Nunatak resulted in a small gas discovery.

"Our main goal was to find oil in Iskrystall, but unfortunately it did not materialize. 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", says Gro G. Haatvedt, senior vice president exploration Norway.

Tags: Statoil