Repsol E&P USA is getting ready to spud the first of three wells the company has planned for Alaska’s North Slope this winter — two appraisal wells and one exploration well — and has staff in its Anchorage office working on development.
Bill Hardham, Repsol’s Alaska project manager, told the Alaska Support Industry Alliance yesterday that ice roads are in for the company’s winter work and the three Nabors drilling rigs it has under contract are being mobilized.
The company began North Slope exploration in the winter of 2012, drilled that winter and the winter of 2013, and will drill again this winter season.
Hardham said this winter’s Qugruk 5 and Qugruk 7 wells will further appraise discoveries the company has announced; an exploration well, Tuttu 1, will be drilled south of the Kuparuk River unit.
The Qugruk wells are on Repsol acreage between the Colville River and Kuparuk River units.
With the ice roads in and rigs mobilizing, Repsol “might be spudding the first well within about a week or so,” he said.
Hardham said Repsol has a team in its Anchorage office working on development. While there isn’t a timeline for development, he said, “it’s not a matter of if but when,” referring to the fact that the company has announced discoveries, but has not made a development decision.
With Repsol’s big acreage position, he said, there could be multiple phases of development.
—Kristen Nelson
See story in Feb. 2 issue, available online at 11 a.m., Jan. 31, at www.PetroleumNews.com
