StatoilHydro makes gas discovery in Barents Sea

OSLO, July 4 (Reuters) - Norwegian oil and gas group StatoilHydro (STL.OL: Quote, Profile, Research) has made a gas discovery in the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Oil Directory said on Friday.

"The gas/water contact was not proven, and it is therefore too early to estimate the size of the discovery. Evaluations and analyses will clarify the size," the directory said in a statement.

StatoilHydro is the operator of production licence 395, where the drilling of wildcat well 7226/2-1 was concluded. The well is situated 200 kilometres north of the North Cape, it said.

StatoilHydro owns 50 percent of the licence, BG Norway 30 percent and State-owned Petoro 20 percent. (Reporting by Aasa Christine Stoltz, editing by Will Waterman)