THE EXPLORERS 2007: BP 'exploring' in known fields 11/18/2007
Company uses technology to access vertical 'string of pearls' that lie above developed North Slope fields
BP Exploration (Alaska), no longer active in traditional exploration in Alaska, is focused on exploring for - and recovering - resources through technology. BP is the operator at Prudhoe Bay, the lar...

THE EXPLORERS 2007: FEX puts NPR-A drilling on pause 11/18/2007
Independent remains committed, but concerned about land access, high costs, fiscal regime, postpones drilling for two years
FEX L.P.'s decision to put its Alaska drilling program on pause for two years came as a surprise to everyone except those paying attention to the federal government's cancellation of National Petroleu...

THE EXPLORERS 2007: Welcome to The Explorers 2007 11/18/2007
Welcome to The Explorers annual magazine, which got its start as The Independents in 2002. We changed the name to The Explorers in 2004 because it was evident, as oil prices began to rise, that there...

Alaska oil forecast shaky 11/18/2007
Production interruptions, infrastructure renewal, slowed heavy oil pace the cause
The fall production forecast for Alaska's North Slope is down from the spring forecast - down for the next eight years. Projected volumes have dropped as much as 130,000 barrels per day for fiscal yea...

North Slope output averages 721,000 bpd 11/11/2007
Alaska North Slope production averaged 721,000 barrels per day in October, up 11 percent from 649,117 bpd in September. September production was pulled down by Prudhoe Bay, which dropped 16.7 percent...

FEX puts NPR-A drilling on pause 10/21/2007
Independent remains committed, but concerned about land access, high costs, fiscal regime, postpones drilling for two years
FEX L.P.'s decision to put its Alaska drilling program on pause for two years came as a surprise to everyone except those paying attention to the federal government's cancellation of National Petroleu...

ARCTIC ENERGY SUMMIT: High Arctic: industry's last oil and gas frontier 10/14/2007
There's one thing industry hopefully can look to when the Earth's offshore oil and gas resources south of the giant Arctic icecap are exhausted. Many geologists now believe this vast and frigid region...

30 STRONG: Meeting Northstar's challenges 10/14/2007
Technology helps island development succeed in sensitive environment with leak detection, smart wells
In developing the 200 million-barrel Northstar field some six miles offshore in the icy Beaufort Sea, BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. placed a tall order with its engineering teams: Find a way to overcom...

30 STRONG: Engineering ingenuity pays off 10/14/2007
EOR techniques developed over three decades succeed beyond developers' wildest dreams
Getting more oil out of the ground is a technical challenge that teams of engineers tackled from Day 1 on the North Slope. More than 30 years later, the brainstorming that produced and perfected a se...

30 STRONG: UERD for offshore development 10/14/2007
Ultra extended reach drilling enables Liberty offshore development without gravel island
Directional drilling of wells that deviate far from the vertical has proved a key technology in accessing much of the North Slope's vast oil reserves. But drilling to horizontal departures of tens of...

30 STRONG: Gravel use has technical challenges 10/14/2007
Oil industry, regulators join forces on slope, convert mines into fish, waterfowl habitat
Among the most visible and enduring signs of the oil industry's presence on the North Slope are the gravel roads, pads and airstrips scattered across the tundra. While these piles of pulverized rock f...

30 STRONG: Reducing development footprint 10/14/2007
Directional drilling, technical innovations dramatically reduce environmental impact
For anyone wanting to see a case-book example of how environmental protection can make perfect business sense, Alaska's North Slope oil industry makes a pretty good place to look. Technical innovation...

30 STRONG: Mega-line drives industry technology 10/14/2007
30-year old trans-Alaska pipeline adopts best new technology for safe, reliable operation
In the 30 years since operators moved the first barrel of Prudhoe Bay oil down the trans-Alaska pipeline in 1977, improvements in technology have illuminated the path forward on Alaska's North Slope. ...

First at Endicott 10/14/2007
There have been some "tremendous firsts" at Endicott, John Denis, east resources manager for BP Exploration (Alaska)'s Alaska consolidated team, said in an Oct. 9 interview. In addition to being "the...

Poised for the future 10/14/2007
Endicott: low salinity pilot startup set for '08; Liberty drilling projected
Endicott, the first offshore Arctic island production facility, celebrated its 20th anniversary in early October. First production was Oct. 3, 1987, said John Denis, east resources manager for BP Exp...

ANS production down 1% in September 10/07/2007
Led by a 16.7 percent production drop at greater Prudhoe Bay, the BP Exploration (Alaska)-operated Prudhoe Bay and Lisburne fields, total Alaska North Slope crude production dropped 1.4 percent in Sep...

August ANS down 9% on field maintenance 09/09/2007
North Slope production averages 658,022 bpd for month; both Milne Point, Alpine down temporarily for planned maintenance
Alaska North Slope crude oil production averaged 658,022 barrels per day in August, down 9.2 percent from a July average of 724,564 bpd, driven by planned maintenance at the Milne Point and Alpine fie...

BP to shut down Badami for recharge 08/26/2007
Field has run since September 2005, although six months on, six months off planned; performance has been better than expected
The Badami field will go offline temporarily this fall - probably in September - after some two years of continuous production. The most easterly of North Slope developed fields, Badami has had a lot...

ACMP process begins for Point Thomson drilling 08/19/2007
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources has started the clock for a 50-day coastal consistency review of ExxonMobil's proposal to drill as many as seven wells in the former Point Thomson unit on Al...

Engineering ingenuity returns big payoff 08/19/2007
Prudhoe Bay teams develop enhanced oil recovery techniques over three decades that succeed beyond their wildest dreams
Getting more oil out of the ground is a technical challenge that teams of engineers tackled from Day 1 on the North Slope. More than 30 years later, the brainstorming that produced and perfected a se...

July ANS production slips below June average 08/12/2007
Alaska North Slope crude oil production averaged 724,564 barrels per day in July, down just 0.01 percent from a June average of 724,638 bpd. Production began the month at more than 766,000 bpd, endin...

Gravel use presents technical challenges 08/05/2007
Oil industry, regulators join forces to meet challenges on Alaska's North Slope, convert abandoned mines into fish, waterfowl habitat
Among the most visible and enduring signs of the oil industry's presence on the North Slope are the gravel roads, pads and airstrips scattered across the tundra. While these piles of pulverized rock f...

Technology meets Northstar challenges 07/22/2007
Island development succeeds in sensitive offshore environment thanks to leak detection system, smart wells and futuristic 'walker'
In developing the 200 million-barrel Northstar field some six miles offshore in the icy Beaufort Sea, BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. placed a tall order with its engineering teams: find a way to overcom...

Prudhoe crude output down 10% in June 07/08/2007
Greater Prudhoe Bay production (including Lisburne) was down 10.6 percent in June, averaging 343,551 barrels per day compared to 384,291 bpd in May. Lisburne dropped only 1.4 percent, averaging 19,982...

Kupcake on track for February drilling 07/08/2007
Given their proximity, if Savant prospect is connected to Liberty reservoir it could become part of BP-operated Liberty unit
Savant Alaska is on track to begin Kupcake drilling operations in February, Erik Opstad told Petroleum News June 30. The company has received approval of its oil discharge prevention and contingency p...