Centrica has announced its initial view of appraisal results at the Maria North well in the Norwegian Sea.

The review indicates potential gross recoverable reserves at the top of the range published following drilling of the discovery well in 2010, of between 60-120 mmboe of oil and between 10-30 mmboe of gas. It will now be working with its partners to consider field development options (Wintershall 50% operator, Petoro 30%, Centrica 20%).


The appraisal well at Maria represents another success for Centrica’s Norwegian business, which has trebled in size following the recent acquisitions of assets from Statoil and an additional stake in Statfjord. This is the fifth successful appraisal or exploration well in Norway in which Centrica has been involved, including most recently the Butch light oil discovery in late 2011.

Jonathan Roger, Managing Director of Centrica Energy Upstream, said: "Maria marks another great achievement for Centrica Energy, which is one of the fastest growing entrants in Norway. This is our second successful well in the past six months and we look forward to working with our partners on further opportunities going forward."

(CD)