SAE Alaska expanding seismic survey

The seismic firm SAE Alaska LLC is looking to expand a proposed 3-D survey it plans to conduct over the next three years in the nearshore waters off the Colville River Delta.

The partnership between SAExploration Inc. and the Kuukpik Corp. permitted the program last July but now wants to expand the survey area some six miles to the east and two miles to the north. The expansion would add some 243.5 square miles to the survey.

The entire survey area would include state and federal waters, as well as “transition zones” and some federal, Native and state lands. The companies expect some seismic operations to occur on portions of the Oooguruk, Nikaitchuq and Kuparuk River units. The program would run through the Beaufort Sea open water seasons of 2014, 2015 and 2016. The section of the survey planned this summer would last for 60 days, which includes both mobilization and demobilization activities, according to the companies.

The state is taking comments on the expansion request through Aug. 7.

- Eric Lidji