Wintershall Holding reports a discovery at the Grosbeak prospect in production licence 378 in the Norwegian North Sea. The well proved both oil and gas and was drilled east of the Astero discovery. The drilling of wildcat well 35/12-2 was the first exploration well in the licence and the first operated well of licence holder Wintershall Norge ASA (former Revus Energy ASA).

Dr. Ties Tiessen, Member of the Board of Executive Directors at Wintershall Holding AG commented: "The Grosbeak discovery could give us a head start in developing the company into becoming one of the most important new operators on the Norwegian continental shelf and add a further piece of growth potential to our portfolio. Through the acquisition of Revus Energy late 2008, Wintershall now has 55 licences and is one of the largest acreage holders in the country."

Harald Vabø, General Manager of Wintershall Norge ASA stated: "We are delighted to be succesful with our first operated well in Norway. We consider this to have the potential of being a significant discovery in itself at the same time as it increases the probability of further resources in the area. Our team will now be fully focused on interpreting the results and evaluate the way forward including the need for further technical studies and appraisal drilling."

Tags: Wintershall