Aurora plans Kenai Peninsula wells, more on west side
Aurora Gas LLC, which has been drilling exclusively on the west side of Cook Inlet, is now adding Kenai Peninsula prospects to its drilling schedule.
The company has filed for an oil discharge prevention and contingency plan with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation for wells to be drilled during the 2004-05 winter season on both sides of the inlet.
Aurora has four prospect locations on the west side of Cook Inlet ranging from four to 10 miles west-northwest of Tyonek.
There are two prospect locations on the east or Kenai Peninsula side of the inlet, approximately 15 miles from the city of Kenai near Forest Lake.
And there is one prospect location on the east or Kenai Peninsula side approximately three miles east of Anchor Point and 15 miles northwest of Homer.
State opened western North Slope this morning
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources opened the western coastal area of the North Slope for winter cross country tundra vehicle travel effective 8 a.m. this morning, Dec. 16.
“This opening is over three weeks earlier than last year,” said Bob Loeffler, director of the Division of Mining, Land and Water.
Loeffler attributed the earlier opening to results of the state’s tundra travel modeling study. The eastern coastal area opened Dec. 10.
Sampling in the week of Dec. 13 showed the western coastal area had both sufficient snow and ground hardness for opening. Both the upper and lower foothills have sufficient ground hardness but do not have sufficient snow.
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