ConocoPhillips Alaska's Westward Expansion: GMT1 marks first development on federal lands in NPR-A.

• Author: Simonelli, Isaac Stone
• Position: GMT1

Greater Mooses Tooth 1 (GMT1) yielded first oil in October. Relying on new oil drilling technology, it is the most recently developed production site for ConocoPhillips on the North Slope as the company continues its methodical westward expansion into the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) along a geological formation known as the Barrow Arch.

"This is another milestone for development in the NPR-A," says Joe Marushack, president of ConocoPhillips Alaska. "The GMT1 team successfully and safely executed this project in an environmentally responsible manner. We appreciate the collaboration with stakeholders from Kuukpik Corporation, the community of Nuiqsut, the North Slope Borough, and ASRC that made it possible."

The permitting process for GMT1 began in 2013; the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a permit to drill in October 2015. Funding was approved later that year and construction began in 2017, continuing through the winter of 2018. GMT1 is the first drill site on federal leases within the NPR-A. BLM, ASRC, and Kuukpik Corporation share land and mineral rights for the project, according to a ConocoPhillips release.

GMT1 has an 11.8-acre drilling pad, a 7.6-mile road, and pipeline facilities connected to Colville River Unit infrastructure. Initially nine wells were drilled at the site, though GMT1 has capacity for up to thirty-three wells, with peak gross production estimated at 25,000 to 30,000 barrels of oil per day.

However, the development of GMT1, which has opened the door for tapping oil reserves at Greater Mooses Tooth 2 (GMT2), hinged on the development and implementation of new steerable drilling liner technology.

"That is essentially the technology that we helped develop. This is the first development that has used this in the development phase," says Shon Robinson, manager of drilling and wells at ConocoPhillips Alaska.

"It was paramount that we have it, and it has worked fantastically. We've drilled four wells with essentially no problems.

"We're not the only operators that have used this system. We're just the first one where we depended on the technology to work or It would have cost significantly more money to complete the development."

During the exploration drilling phase of GMT1, it became apparent that ConocoPhillips would face challenges not yet encountered on the remote North Slope.

The geological bedding, rather than laying relatively flat, was jumbled, making it unstable. It's thought that a high-energy...