First Osprey well near total depth

Kristen Nelson

The first exploration well from Forest Oil Corp.’s new Osprey platform in Cook Inlet is approaching total depth, with testing expected over the next couple of weeks, Gary Carlson, Forest senior vice president in charge of Alaska operations, told the Alaska Support Industry Alliance Jan. 19.

Pending success at the Redoubt Shoal prospect, where the Osprey platform was installed last summer, production facilities would be built onshore, Carlson said. Permitting is under way, and if the well is successful and permits are received, pipeline construction would begin in September or October, with onshore construction beginning about the same time. The Redoubt Shoal field would go into production in early 2002.

Recent activity in the industry is causing delays in receiving equipment, Carlson said. If permitting or equipment difficulties cause the construction schedule to slip, it could be May 2002 before work could begin.