State production up 1 percent for December

Tundra opens for off-road travel

Warthog a dry hole, says ARCO, but 1997 successful exploration year for company

ARCO Alaska Inc. spokesman Ronnie Chappell confirmed Jan. 7 that ithe company’s Warthog exploratory well in Camden Bay offshore the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on Alaska's North Slope was a dry hole (see December edition of PNA for related story). “Overall, 1997 has been an exceptional year for our exploration program,” Chappell told PNA. “We drilled 12 exploratory wells; seven were successful — we encountered commercial hydrocarbons. Warthog was one of the wells that was not as successful as we had hoped. We have finished our evaluation of the well, and we did not encounter commercial hydrocarbons. ... We’ve released the rig and plugged and abandoned the well and we have no immediate plans to continue exploration in the area.” Will ARCO be back in the Camden Bay area anytime soon? It’s not in the company’s plans right now, Chappell said, but “the Camden Bay area is an area we’ve been active on off and on,” he said. “We were active in 1990 when we drilled the Stinson well. We returned in 1992 and drilled Kuvlum, and were back in 1993 to delineate Kuvlum and drill the Wild Weasel. ... We were back again in 1997 because the prospect looked worthy of testing. Our history is, when there is a prospect out there worthy of a look, we go take a look we’ve been active on off and on,” he said. “We were active in 1990 when we drilled the Stinson well. We returned in 1992 and drilled Kuvlum, and were back in 1993 to delineate Kuvlum and drill the Wild Weasel. ... We were back again in 1997 because the prospect looked worthy of testing. Our history is, when there is a prospect out there worthy of a look, we go take a look and that’s not going to change.”