Updated September 1, 2026.
NCS Exploration Drilling Updates – August 31, 2026👏 Since my last update, 3 new wells (2 wildcats, 1 appraisal) have started drilling operations. Two (2) wildcats have also concluded drilling operations. Currently, four (4) exploration wells are being drilled on the NCS👏. Details..⤵️
➡️ Active Wells:
– Well 34/10-56 S: Wildcat well by Equinor in the Northern North Sea – Gullfaks field area (PL 050 HS). Spud date – Aug 25 by COSL Innovator rig. Prospect – Rav Beta. Likely targets: Jurassic (Brent Group / Cook FM) reservoirs. Partner – Petoro AS.👏
– Well 36/4-2 A: Appraisal well for the recently completed wildcat (Alpehumle prospect) by AkerBP in the Måloy Slope area of the NCS (PL 1153). Spud date – Aug 22 by Scarabeo 8 rig. Target – L-U Cretaceous Agat FM / Kyrre FM plays. It’s good to see a quick, follow-up appraisal being drilled (confirms the strategy discussed in my NCS 1H 2026 exploration report). Partners – INPEX-Idemitsu Norge, OKEA, Harbour Energy.👏
– Well 6407/5-3 S: Wildcat well by Vår Energi in the Halten Terrace area of the Norwegian Sea (PL 1002). Spud date – Aug 10 by COSL Prospector rig. Prospect – Lakris. Likely targets – Lower – Middle Jurassic reservoirs. Partner – Equinor.👏
– Well 35/7-2: Ongoing appraisal well for Afrodite discovery well by Wellesley Petroleum in the Northern North Sea (PL 293). Spud date – July 15 by Deepsea Yantai rig. Targets – Middle Jurassic Brent Group reservoirs. Trap – Horst block. Partner – Equinor.👏
➡️ Drilling Results:
– Well 25/7-13: Equinor made a gas/condensate discovery in the South Viking Graben (PL 782 S). Linga discovery is the second Upper Jurassic (Draupne FM) discovery well since “Norma” discovery was made in 2023. Partner – AkerBP.. Read more here...👏
– Well 36/4-2 A: AkerBP and partners have concluded drilling operations for Alpehumle prospect in the Måloy Slope area (PL 1153). Spud date – ( from Jun 29 – Aug 22) by Scarabeo 8 rig. Target – Cretaceous Agat FM / Kyrre FM plays. It’s good to see the quick, follow-up appraisal being drilled (confirms the strategy discussed in my 1H 2026 exploration report). Eagerly awaiting results from the well. Partners – INPEX-Idemitsu Norge, OKEA, Harbour Energy.👏
– Well 15/6-17: AkerBP has concluded drilling operations for Svarteknippa prospect in the Gundrun Terrace area of the North Sea (PL 979). The well targeted both Middle and Upper Jurassic reservoirs. The well was dry. Partner – Equinor.
➡️ Highlights / Comments:
– Linga Discovery: The Upper Jurassic (Draupne FM) play (Brae analogue) of the South Viking Graben (SVG) delivers again👏. The new data coverage by Viridien and TGS in the SVG provides the impetus to chase more leads and prospects in this deep marine turbidite play. The new seismic data provides clear imaging of the turbidite packages, including the internal geometry. Critical factors such as subtle dip changes, erosional bottoms, event terminations, truncations, as well as lateral and updip pinchouts of the sand bodies can now be mapped more reliably👏. Few notables about the Upper Jurassic play in the South Viking Graben –
– Since 2023, four (4) wildcats have targeted the Upper Jurassic (Draupne FM) play in the SVG resulting in 2 discoveries and 2 dry holes (Norma, Alvheim Deep, Svarteknippa, Linga)👏
– YTF Exploration has been successful in predicting the results of those four (4) wells👏
– In the case of Alvheim Deep prospect, the well prediction toolbox (WPT) not only predicted that the well would be dry, but also predicted the lack of reservoir facies / target in the well👏
NOTE: Eight (8) WPT predictions have been made this year – (7 correct predictions – 5 discoveries, 2 dry holes; 1 wrong prediction). 👉Contact me to learn more about the WPT toolbox and how it can be applied in your prospect evaluation process.👏
– Strategic Exploration Collaboration: The formation of the Strategic Exploration Collaboration by Equinor, AkerBP, Vår Energi for high-impact exploration drilling on the NCS validates what I’ve been writing about for some time👏. The efforts to drill some of the remaining high-impact prospects are time-sensitive (for profitability), and requires collaboration (in data, portfolio, expertise, capacity) to share the risk involved. Kudos to the “big-three” explorers for coming together to form the much-needed collaboration …though competitors, they’ve found the common “business ground” to act in the interest of the Norsk Shelf.👏 Read more about my take on the Strategic Exploration Collaboration here..on LinkedIn👏
➡️ As always, contact me for more details on any of the above – recommended plays and play areas, prospect critical work / prospect reviews, identified lead opportunities, potential farm-in candidates, and well predictions on upcoming wildcats –
👉Email – consulting@ytfexploration.com
👉Website – https://ytfexploration.com
Maps
Fig. 1 (Link)
Fig. 2 (Link) Fig. 3 (Link). Fig. 4 (Link)
. 
. 
Fig. 5 (Link) Fig. 6 (Link). Fig. 7 (Link)
Fig. 8 (Link)
Tags: NCS, Exploration, Drilling, North Sea, ILX Exploration.
Featured Image: Scarabeo 8 Rig (Source – Saipem)
