Royal Dutch Shell: moving forward with Arctic drilling projects.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: OIL & GAS

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For more than six years, Royal Dutch Shell has been attempting to advance its plans to drill for oil from offshore drilling rigs in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas. On Aug. 30 the company learned these plans could finally move forward, opening the door for Shell to make history in Alaska once again.

Despite the Obama Administration's ruling, however, the company is not rushing headlong into Alaska's waters, choosing instead to take a steadied and measured approach to the task before them. "We can't use our frustration about how long the project took to get off the ground as an excuse not to take a closer look at the end game," says Curtis Smith, Shell Alaska External Affairs "We have dusted off our plans again and again and made sure that our applications and our pro cesses are right; these efforts have shown themselves in the approval of our permits, and ultimately, in this approval to move our drilling program forward. We can lament the fact that it took so long to get here, but that time was well spent."

Preparing to Drill

Since 1918, when Shell geologists first took a look at the state's oil possibilities, the company has always had an interest in the 49th state. Though it pulled its operations from Alaska for a short period of time between 1998 and 2005, the milestones that it established remain a large part of the state's oil and gas legacy.

"We have a 60-year history in Alaska, which includes building the first two offshore platforms in Cook Inlet and drilling the majority of wells in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas in the 1980s and early 1990s," says Smith. "We've made history here before and we're looking forward to doing it again."

"That we were finally able to drill in the Alaska offshore this summer is a major milestone achieved and a strong signal that responsible development can take place in the Arctic. In the months ahead we look forward to operating safely and responsibly, putting Americans to work and adding to Shell's long, successful history of drilling offshore Alaska," says Pete Slaiby, Shell Alaska vice president.

Despite delays on both projects, Smith says the company is excited about finally getting started. "Even though we're getting a late start, we can accomplish a lot in the Chukchi Sea," he says. "Just how far we get depends on how long it takes to build and excavate the mud line cellar, and how long it takes to put in the casing and cement from the top hole to the 1,400 foot level."

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