DOE issues report on North Slope oil, gas

The U.S. Department of Energy has issued a major report on the status and future of oil and gas development on Alaska’s North Slope. The report, published both as a summary report and as a separate detailed report, includes a description of North Slope petroleum geology; the history of oil and gas development in the region; an assessment of the remaining oil and gas resources; and projections of potential short-term and long-term future petroleum production.

“The report examines the potential for Arctic Alaska to remain a major contributor to the nation’s domestic energy supply under different development scenarios,” DOE said.

Some of the assumptions used in the report’s economic analysis seem dated. For example, the economic model assumes the state’s now-defunct gross production tax with ELF adjustments, rather than the current ACES tax. However, the economic analysis provides a valuable basis for understanding the business of North Slope oil and gas production. And the massive report contains a wealth of useful reference information about the North Slope oil and gas industry.

The report can be downloaded from the DOE Web site at http://fossil.energy.gov/news/techlines/2008/08002-DOE_Releases_Alaska_Report.html.

—Alan Bailey