BP modifies Milne Point expansion plans

Petroleum News Alaska

BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. has modified a proposal for pad expansion at Milne Point to meet objections from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Alaska Division of Governmental Coordination said BP had originally applied for expansions at G, H, and I pads and infrastructure expansion at J pad to accommodate expansion of Schrader Bluff development.

In response to Fish and Wildlife concerns about filling quality bird habitat at the north end of G pad, BP modified the application. G pad will not be expanded. Instead, bottomhole targets will be accessed from J pad.

Gravel from the MPU Mine Site, intended for the G pad expansion, would be used for the J pad expansion.

The state said that relocating production drilling activity to J pad would reduce the volume of gravel placed on wetlands from 25,000 cubic yards at G pad to 14,140 cubic yards at J pad. The footprint would be reduced from 2.81 acres at G Pad to one acre at J pad. J pad modification, the state said, would avoid filling quality bird habitat at the north end of G Pad.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said BP has proposed to use gravel from the Service City airstrip site before any new gravel would be mined for this pad expansion.

The one-acre gravel pad expansion at J pad will provide safe drilling rig access and space for three new wellheads. Additional infrastructure planned at J pad includes header extensions for the new wellheads, electrical submersible pump modules-transformer skid, water injection booster pump building and a buried electrical cable.

BP proposes to begin the project with gravel placement for pad expansion and electrical cable connection. Construction completion is planned during fall of 2001 except for electrical cable burial that would occur in early 2002.