No luck for DNO onshore Oman

Norwegian energy company DNO said it was giving up on a program in Oman, which is among the largest oil producers outside of OPEC.

DNO said it was abandoning efforts at its Hayah-1 exploration well in Oman. Other than some minor gas deposits, the company said it failed to encounter any hydrocarbons.

The well will now be plugged and abandoned, the company said, after drilling through three study areas.

Oman is the largest regional oil and gas producer that's not a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. A report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration finds Oman produced more oil this decade than during the last, thanks in part to enhanced oil recovery techniques.

Primary recovery from oil deposits relates to natural pressure in the reservoir. Secondary recovery involves water or gas injection into the well to increase production. Enhanced oil recovery techniques include further stimulation from steam, gas or chemical injections into the well.

DNO offered no guidance on future trajectory for onshore Oman other than to say it would continue to study the potential. The company entered Oman in 2012 and operates the only offshore fields in the country in production.