Vår Energi and Kistos Energy have concluded drilling operations at the 25/8-C-23 D well, known as the Prince Updip prospect, in the Balder area of Norway’s North Sea.
The well, designed to test hydrocarbon potential within the Upper Triassic Skagerrak Formation, also targeted the underlying basement rock as a secondary objective.
The partners reported that the well penetrated a 127-metre section of the Skagerrak Formation, including 18 metres of sandstone with moderate-to-good reservoir quality.
Certain sandstone layers showed indications of hydrocarbons.
Drilling proceeded approximately 30 metres into the basement rock, which exhibited no reservoir properties.
While no discoveries of commercial scale have been announced, the results contribute valuable geological data for understanding the area’s reservoir potential.
The 25/8-C-23 D well was drilled under Production Licence (PL) 027, one of Norway’s oldest licences, awarded in 1969 during the country’s second licensing round.
The operation was carried out from the Ringhorne installation, located about 200 kilometres west of Stavanger, in a water depth of 129 metres.
The well reached a total vertical depth of 2,318 metres below sea level before being permanently plugged and abandoned as planned.
This marks the 13th exploration well to be drilled within the PL 027 licence area.
The Balder field, which lies within the same production licence, was discovered in 1967, making it one of the earliest oil finds on the Norwegian continental shelf.
Its development and operation plan was approved nearly three decades later in 1996, with production beginning in 1999.
The nearby Ringhorne Øst field, also part of PL 027, was discovered in 2003.
Development of that field was approved in 2005, and production began the following year.
Four production wells have since been drilled from the Ringhorne wellhead platform to support ongoing output from Ringhorne Øst.
Vår Energi and Kistos have maintained exploration and appraisal activity in the Balder area in recent years as part of their broader North Sea portfolio.
The most recent exploration phase under PL 027 before Prince Updip occurred in 2021, when wells 25/8-20 S, B, and C confirmed the presence of hydrocarbons at two stratigraphic levels.
The company stated that these findings have helped refine its understanding of the subsurface structure and potential future drilling targets in the area.
The Prince Updip operation forms part of Vår Energi’s ongoing focus on value-driven exploration in mature parts of the Norwegian shelf, where established infrastructure supports cost-efficient development opportunities.
The company holds a diverse portfolio across the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, and Barents Sea, and continues to evaluate prospects near existing assets.
Beyond the Balder area, Vår Energi’s activity across the Norwegian Continental Shelf remains strong.
In December 2025, the company and its licence partners announced final investment approval for the Previously Produced Fields (PPF) project in the Greater Ekofisk Area, operated by ConocoPhillips Skandinavia.
The redevelopment aims to extend field life and recover additional resources from mature installations through new wells and modernised infrastructure.