Exploration drilling by wildcat well 35/12-2 on the Grosbeak prospect in the North Sea has started Wintershall Norge - formerly Revus Energy - announced. Wintershall has high hopes for the prospect and its chief Harald Vabø says it could be a watershed moment for the group.

 Wintershall believes the well could turn in some scintillating results for Grosbeak, situated some 45 kilometres north of Troll B, 80 km east of the Gullfaks and 55 km from the island of Ytre Sula on the Norwegian coast.

Drilling started in Production Licence 378 by the drilling rig Songa Delta, operated by Wintershall. Results are expected in July.

Grosbeak is located in an area that is rich in hydrocarbons and has infrastructure in place, the company added.

It is Wintershall Norge's first operated well in the Grosbeak prospect and, according to General Manager Harald Vabø, there are high hopes indeed for a big find.

"Grosbeak has some 200-300 million barrels of oil equivalent, that's the prospect size of Grosbeak. It is a relatively large prospect and it has a 30% probabilty of discovery. That's a relatively good prospect," Vabø told Offshore247 in an exclusive interview last month.

"It's also close to an area of proven deposits," he said, adding that drilling at the prospect could be a watershed moment for the group, which is entering a new phase that will see it punching far above its current weight - and becoming a completely bigger, heavier player in the Norwegian shelf entirely.