ConocoPhillips Alaska said this morning that Kuparuk viscous oil development production at 1H Northeast West Sak, 1H NEWS, has begun two months ahead of schedule.
Permitting for 1H NEWS was announced in February 2014, the project was produced for funding and development in March 2015 and development began this August.
"1H NEWS is an exciting project for us," Joe Marushack, president of ConocoPhillips Alaska, said in a statement. "Viscous oil is more challenging to produce, but state-of-the-art technologies are allowing us to pursue projects like this that put more oil in the pipeline. This is yet another example of what ConocoPhillips does well - bringing good projects online safely with new production and revenues for Alaska," he said.
The project involved a 9.3-acre extension to existing Kuparuk Drill Site 1H. Horizontal multilateral production wells will be supported by vertical injectors, with 19 new wells planned.
ConocoPhillips said the state's first pentalateral well where all five laterals can be accessed has been drilled at 1H NEWS and is producing. The project is expected to add some 8,000 barrels per day to North Slope production at peak in 2018.
The project supported some 150 jobs during construction and has an estimated cost of $400 million, $60 million under the initial estimate.
- KRISTEN NELSON
See story in Nov. 19 issue, available online Friday, Nov. 17, at www.PetroleumNews.com
