Winter drilling plans: anticipating industrial activity.

• Author: Bradner, Mike
• Position: OIL & GAS

Oil and gas companies are gearing up for the annual winter exploration drilling program on the North Slope. Although things could change, as some companies are still working on permits and drill rig arrangements, the season looks to be a repeat of last year, with fairly vigorous activity.

At this stage it looks like Repsol, ConocoPhillips, and Linc Energy, an Australia-based independent, will be drilling. NordAq Energy, an Alaska independent, was hoping to drill a test well, but that will be deferred because of difficulties securing a suitable rig.

Colville and Kuparuk

Repsol, a major company and the most active explorer on the North Slope, will drill three Alaska North Slope exploration wells again this winter as part of a multi-year program to evaluate the company's acreage. Repsol drilled three wells last year and announced that it had found oil in all three of them.

Two of the wells planned this winter, designated Q-5 and Q-7, will be in the Colville River delta area east of the producing Alpine field. Those are in the vicinity of wells drilled last year by Repsol where discoveries were made, according to Repsol's Alaska manager, Bill Hardham. A third well, called "Tuttu-1" is farther east near the Kuparuk River field, which is producing, Hardham says.

The two new Colville delta wells will be drilled to gather more information on oil and gas resources near the wells drilled last year, which were designated as Q-1, Q-3, and Q-6, he says. Repsol has not yet announced a decision on the commerciality of those discoveries from last year, although the company said the results of two of them were very encouraging.

"We are busy with this and we are working on development scenarios. The wells we'll drill this year will add to our information" about the area, he says.

The company plans are to use three Nabors Alaska Drilling Co. rigs for the winter season. A winter ice road will be constructed to the exploration area from the Kuparuk field roads, which are all-year gravel roads. An ice airstrip and winter camp facility will be built near where the drilling will take place.

The exploration in the Colville delta is focused on conventional oil but the Tuttu well further east will evaluate possible viscous oil that ConocoPhillips has also found in its West Sak formation, which is nearby in the Kuparuk field.

NPR-A

ConocoPhillips is also planning two exploration wells in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) this winter, although company...