Eni fleshes out its development plans

In one of its first public appearances since opening an Anchorage office, Italian major Eni said it expects to produce oil from the Nikaitchuq unit before the end of 2009, according to Giuseppe Valenti, vice president of exploration for Eni US Operating Co.

The Italian major is developing the near-shore project using a combination of onshore and offshore drilling pads. Nikaitchuq sits in state waters north of the Kuparuk River unit.

Eni recently drilled its first development and service wells at the prospect from an onshore pad at Oliktok Point. The company is drilling seven production wells and nine injection wells from the onshore pad, and expects to produce oil by late 2009.

Running concurrently with the onshore drilling, the company also plans to install flow lines, export lines and new processing facilities through the first three quarters of 2009.

After building that infrastructure, which includes the first North Slope processing facilities not owned by ConocoPhillips or BP, Eni plans to move offshore, drilling 24 production wells and 25 injection wells starting in the third quarter of 2010.

The company expects first oil from the offshore pads by the end of 2010.

The company is also planning an onshore-offshore 3-D seismic program this coming winter, and will process and analyze recently acquired seismic in the Beaufort Sea.

—Eric Lidji