Legislators want heavy oil discussions 12/20/2009
Heavy oil is thick as honey and hard to pump out of the ground. That's where most of it has stayed while lighter crude is available. But heavy oil may be the future of Alaska's petroleum development,...

State: oil at $67 in FY 2010 12/13/2009
State expect prices to rise through 2019, production to rise slightly in 2013 before falling again; Galvin says industry spending expected to be $4.5B in FY 2010, $5B in FY 2011
When the State of Alaska released its revenue forecast in December 2008, guessing the price of oil in the coming year seemed as reliable as guessing the weather in the coming year. In the previous six...

Projecting the jobs 11/29/2009
AEDC CEO Bill Popp works with Petroleum News and Mining News on new project forecast
Like one of Scrooge's Christmas apparitions, a ghost of Alaska's future could portend doom, or could just prove to be a warning of the consequences of not taking appropriate action. And from the persp...

Statoil opening Alaska office, plans Chukchi seismic shoot 11/22/2009
Statoil USA EandP is looking for office space in Anchorage to house the company's first Alaska-based employee, Karin Berentsen. Berentsen, who will be moving to the state from Norway in January, is work...

The Explorers 2009: ENI Petroleum 11/15/2009
Italian major Eni Petroleum took its first stab at Alaska in the late 1960s as Agip Petroleum, but didn't begin exploring in earnest until summer 2005, when it bought a portfolio of North Slope leases...

The Explorers 2009: Armstrong 11/15/2009
Armstrong Resources introduced a new business style to Alaska in late 2001, going after larger prospects passed over by the majors BP and ConocoPhillips, the North Slope's only producer-operators at t...

The Explorers 2009: Armstrong affiliate 70 and 148 top bidder at North Slope lease sale 11/15/2009
It was déjà vu all over again as Alaska Division of Oil and Gas Director Kevin Banks read 93 bids for 80 tracts in the state's 2009 areawide North Slope oil and gas lease sale in Anchorage Oct. 28. A...

Alaska oil jobs peak 11/01/2009
Field maintenance, new projects buoy payrolls; BP ignites competition for people
Employment in Alaska's oil patch is softening, but only very slightly as the industry continues to support near record payrolls. "I'm surprised at the strength of the numbers," state labor economist N...

70 and 148 top bidder 11/01/2009
Armstrong affiliate puts down $7.8 million for 68 North Slope sale tracts
It was déjà vu all over again as Alaska Division of Oil and Gas Director Kevin Banks read 93 bids for 80 tracts in the state's 2009 areawide North Slope oil and gas lease sale in Anchorage Oct. 28. A...

North Fork's a go 09/27/2009
Pipelines will connect Kenai Peninsula field to Southcentral gas network
Armstrong Cook Inlet, operator of the North Fork unit in the southern Kenai Peninsula, has signed a contract with Enstar Natural Gas Co. for the supply of gas from North Fork into Enstar's Southcentra...

Pioneer gets multiple Oooguruk approvals 08/23/2009
Participating areas, multiphase meters approved; development drilling continues; WAG in Nuiqsut, waterflood in Kuparuk planned
Pioneer Natural Resources Alaska received multiple regulatory approvals for its Oooguruk field off Alaska's North Slope north of Kuparuk in late July. The field, which began producing last summer, rep...

Big money going offshore 08/16/2009
With oil and gas employment in Alaska at an all-time high for the fourth year in a row, crude prices bumping $70 per barrel, four northern Alaska oil fields under development, and the world's majors l...

Eni aims for 2010 oil 08/16/2009
Italian firm submits revised plan for Nikaitchuq field, cites work already done
Back in February, managers for Eni Petroleum were explaining to Alaska industry regulators how plunging oil prices and other complications had shifted their fast-track Nikaitchuq oil field development...

Risk to reward 08/09/2009
Exploration takes breather, but project development has North Slope buzzing
If you've been to Alaska's North Slope in the last few months you know that beds and trucks are in short supply and Deadhorse, the center of oilfield activity, looks like a boom town. "There are more...

State revenue stream OK but 'fragile' 07/19/2009
Assuming strong oil prices, state will have plenty of cash for budgeting and can build its savings, revenue commissioner says
Prospects are decent for ample revenue to support state government and preserve savings through the year 2020, but Alaska's finances will remain "fragile" due to heavy dependence on oil production, st...

State approves Northeast West Sak PA 06/07/2009
The Alaska Division of Oil and Gas has approved a new participating area at Kuparuk, the Northeast West Sak PA. In a May 29 decision the division said the new participating area includes portions of...

Nikaitchuq oil in 2010 05/24/2009
Missed sealift last year led to delays; company expects modules next year
Eni US Operating Co. Inc. expects to start producing oil from an offshore North Slope unit in December 2010, according to new information from the Alaska Division of Oil and Gas. Earlier this year the...

Eni expects lower capital spending in '09 05/03/2009
Eni s.P.a expects decreased capital expenditures this year compared to last year, company management said in first-quarter financial filings released on April 24. The Italian major did not quantify th...

Increased North Slope spending projected 04/19/2009
Revenue department spring forecast estimates $4.24B in lease expenditures in FY 09, up from $3.98B; increasing to $5B for FY 10
Recent reports from North Slope operators indicate that lease expenditures will total $4.24 billion in fiscal year 2009, which ends June 30 - up from $3.98 billion in FY 08. And for FY 2010, which be...

Eni asks for more time at Nikaitchuq 03/29/2009
Company wants term of unit agreement pushed out nearly two additional years, also asks for extension on ADL 391283 timeline
Eni US Operating Co. Inc. wants extra time to develop the Nikaitchuq unit. The subsidiary of Italian oil giant Eni S.p.A. recently asked the state to extend the term of the offshore unit to April 1, 2...

Armstrong prepping supply contract 03/15/2009
Successful test well at North Fork means issue of gas pricing will return before state regulators; company asking for $7 to $10
For Cook Inlet explorers, finding gas is only half the battle. Selling it is the other half. Following a successful test well in the southern Kenai Peninsula last summer, Armstrong Cook Inlet seems to...

Conoco cuts 80 Alaska jobs 03/08/2009
Conoco Phillips is eliminating 80 jobs in Alaska as the company tightens spending in response to the steep decline from last year's record oil prices, a company spokesman announced today. Charlie Rowt...

Slowing Nikaitchuq 03/08/2009
Low oil prices and weak economy believed to be behind Eni's decision
Eni Petroleum is "slowing down" the pace of development at the Nikaitchuq unit in the nearshore waters off the North Slope, according to a top state oil and gas official. Division of Oil and Gas Dire...

Arctic Directory: Alaska is 'open for business' 01/25/2009
And the proof, DNR Commissioner Irwin says, is our oil and gas industry's expansion into new areas
In recent weeks, Alaskans have heard rumblings about obstacles to resource development. Although a very small minority of leaseholders in Cook Inlet have drawn attention to their inability to kick-sta...

Petroleum News expands biannual directory's reach to worldwide Arctic 01/25/2009
Petroleum News has changed the name of its biannual Petroleum Directory to Arctic Oil and Gas Directory, reflecting an expansion of the magazine's readership beyond Alaska and northern Canada to include...