Chevron plugs foothills exploration well

Chevron plugged and abandoned the Mastodon 6-3-9 exploration well on March 27, according to recent well data from the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

Mastodon was the second of three wells Chevron drilled this winter in its White Hills prospect in the foothills of the Brooks Range just west of the Dalton Highway.

Chevron drilled the Smilodon 9-4-9 well earlier in the season and the Panthera 28-6-9 well later in the season at White Hills, but the company has yet to plug or suspend either well, according to AOGCC files. Chevron drilled all three wells using Nabors rig 106.

The company hopes to drill eight wells over a two-year program at White Hills.

Chevron has not released any results from those wells, or the targets of the exploration program, calling it a “tight” venture.

—Eric Lidji