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State approves West Sak expansion project
Petroleum News
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Oil and Gas, has approved a proposal from ConocoPhillips Alaska for expansion of drill site 3R in the Kuparuk River unit as part of the West Sak expansion project.
This is an amendment to the Kuparuk River unit plan of operations.
ConocoPhillips requested authorization for placement of gravel to expand the DS-3R pad at Kuparuk to the north access road and expand the existing access road crown width of some 32 feet, the division said. This will involve placement of some 27,740 cubic yards of gravel within the existing pad footprint to raise and expand portions of the pad to provide access to existing and future infrastructure.
Some 740 cubic yards of gravel will be placed along the north access road to expand the crown width; some 0.07 acres of tundra will be impacted, the division said.
The project also involves removal of the existing culvert beneath the north access road. That culvert will be replaced, the division said, “with a new culvert consistent with current CPAI specifications.”
Trenching will also be required to connect a power pole at the east end of the pad.
Construction activities will begin, the division said, upon receipt of authorization and will be completed by Nov. 30, 2019.
Drill site 3R is on the northern edge of the Kuparuk River unit, between the Oliktok Dock and the Oliktok Point staging area in section 9, township 13 north, range 9 east, Umiat Meridian.
Conditions and stipulations The division is requiring a status report for these activities on May 1 and Nov. 1 of each year from approval until a completion report is filed.
The DNR commissioner may require an authorized representative to be on site during operations, ensuring that the Division of Oil and Gas and the Division of Mining, Land and Water meet statutory responsibilities for monitoring activities on state-owned lands.
Tundra travel on or across Native lands claims is not authorized.
The division requires a certified as-built survey within one year of placement of the improvement.
KIC equipment tent In another recent Kuparuk plan of operations amendment, the division approved a proposal from ConocoPhillips to install a new 100 feet by 50 feet equipment tent and excavate a trench on the Kuparuk Industrial Center pad in the unit. The trench will be used to run powerlines from the C washbay to the equipment tent; it will measure some 225 feet long, 12 feet wide and 4 feet deep and will be backfilled with material from the excavation.
Prior to installation of the new equipment tent some 185 yards of gravel at about 12 inches deep will be excavated at the tent location, a liner and insulation placed and the excavated gravel replaced.
The division said all work would be performed on-pad with construction equipment including an excavator and skid-steer loader.
Project work is expected to begin in October and be completed by December.
A certified as-built survey will be required within one year of placement of the improvement.
The KIC is northeast of Kuparuk Central Processing Facility 1.
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