Exxon presses on with Point Thomson

ExxonMobil Development Co. has requested renewal of its state land use permit to allow for ice road and pad construction associated with the Point Thomson project.

Point Thomson is a new oil field ExxonMobil is building on Alaska’s eastern North Slope. The company is aiming to start production from the field in early 2016.

ExxonMobil asked the state Department of Natural Resources to reissue the land use permit, as its current authorization expires on Jan. 27.

In its application, the company said ice roads and pads might be needed along the main supply route from Endicott to the Point Thomson central pad, within the Point Thomson field itself, and along pipeline rights of way.

DNR said in a Dec. 31 public notice that it intends to renew the permit until Jan. 27, 2019.

The department also indicated approval of certain permit changes. One concerns a stipulation in the existing permit that forbids vehicle refueling within the annual floodplain or tidelands.

“The majority of the ice road routes will be within an annual floodplain as the eastern coastal area is generally flat. It is not practicable to refuel only at upland sites due to their unavailability across the ice road routes,” ExxonMobil told DNR.

The department proposes amending the stipulation to say: “Where practicable, vehicle refueling shall not occur within the annual floodplain or tidelands.”

—Wesley Loy