The decision allows ASRC Exploration LLC to proceed with plans to drill the Placer No. 3 exploration well this winter at the North Slope unit northeast of the village of Nuiqsut.

The approval covers an outline described in a plan of operations the Arctic Slope Regional Corp. subsidiary had submitted to state officials toward the end of last year.

The program includes three weeks of construction on an ice road and ice pads and two weeks of mobilizing a drilling rig to the location, which sits nearly at the end of the existing North Slope road system beginning at Deadhorse. The company will be using the Brooks Range Petroleum Corp.-operated Mustang pad at the nearby Southern Miluveach unit for housing, equipment maintenance and storage throughout the duration of the project.

Drilling is expected to last approximately one month, followed by demobilization of the rig, well testing and temporary suspension of the well before complete demobilization.

The company is planning a 500 square foot well site of approximately 6 to 18 inches of ice and a second 150 square foot staging pad around the existing Placer No. 1 well. The company is planning a 35-foot wide ice road running approximately 9 miles from the Mustang Pad Access Road near Lake K210 to the new Placer No. 3 well site. The company is also planning a 1.3-mile spur road connecting Placer No. 3 to Placer No. 1.

- ERIC LIDJI

See story in Jan. 17 issue, available online Friday, Jan. 15 at www.PetroleumNews.com