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Glacier's Savant gets approval for Badami unit development plan
Kay Cashman Petroleum News
Savant Alaska, a Glacier Oil and Gas Corp. company, received approval for the 22nd plan of development for the eastern North Slope Badami unit from the Alaska Department of Natural Resources' Division of Oil and Gas on May 15.
The POD, referred to as the 2025 plan of development, covers the period from July 16 through July 15, 2026.
The Badami unit was formed on March 13, 1995, with BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. as the original operator. The unit is located approximately 25 miles west of the Point Thomson unit and 30 miles east of Deadhorse on the Beaufort Sea coast.
Savant succeeded BPX as operator of the Badami unit in 2012.
As of March 31, 2025, the unit had cumulatively produced 11.283 million barrels of oil. Average daily oil production from the Badami unit between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025, was 1,954 barrels of oil per day. This was a 127% increase from 859 bpd as compared to the prior 12-month period, mainly driven by bringing online the new B1-33A well.
2024 POD Although Savant initially committed to drilling two Badami Sand wells from the Badami Main Pad in the 2024 POD, Savant deferred the plan and redirected capital toward the Killian Kennicott B1-33 exploration well.
The Kennicott B1-33 well encountered the Badami Sand targets, prompting the need for further evaluation to assess the prospectivity of these targets.
A workover on the B1-01 injection well is also considered economically viable to expand injection zones and support future grind and inject operations for a multi-well drilling campaign. However, Savant determined that converting the well for single-well use at Kennicott would not be cost effective and thus postponed the conversion. Additionally, injection rate testing on the B1-14 and B1-21 wells was not conducted, as operations were focused on the Kennicott program. Savant successfully completed all other proposed commitments for the 2024 POD.
2025 commitments In the 2025 POD Savant commits to the following operations:
*Drilling two Badami sand wells from the Badami Main Pad;
*Conducting injection rate testing on B1-14 and B1-21 wells for gas injection, storage and retrieval;
*Conducting Pressure-Temperature surveys on B 1-33 and B 1-07 to determine fluid level, reservoir pressure, and reservoir mobility;
*Continuing the exploration and development activities for the new Badami and Killian sand prospects;
*Drilling at least one Killian development well, of the Steller Prospect, from the Badami Main Pad;
*Continuing to refine, characterize, and de-risk the prospects related to the Killian sands outside of the participating area;
*Conducting a well workover on the B1-01 Class 1 injection well to expand injection zones;
*Conducting geochemical analysis of Hue Shale oil samples collected from the Bl-33 Pilot Hole and from produced Killian oil;
*Continuing the evaluation of newly acquired acreage;
*Continuing well and facility maintenance and optimization;
*Advancing plans to construct the proposed Badami East Pad, pending success of its Steller drilling program, with anticipated construction beginning in the summer of 2026;
*Conducting a full overhaul of the vapor recovery unit and its injection gas compressors IGA and IGB;
*Performing an engine core upgrade and control systems enhancements for solar turbine B; and
*Reviving the on-site gravel mine in preparation for anticipated East Pad construction, road maintenance and drilling operations support.
*Additionally, staging ice road construction equipment on the Badami storage pad in preparation for 2025-2026 winter season ice road construction.
Findings and decision In his findings and decision Division of Oil and Gas Director Derek Nottingham said the public has an interest in diligent exploration and development of the state's resources: "The plans set forth in the 2025 POD protect this public interest by maintaining production, drilling two Badami sand wells and at least one Killian development well from the Badami Main Pad, conducting gas injection testing on select wells, performing pressure-temperature surveys, conducting a workover on the B1-01 injection well to expand injection zones, continuing exploration and development efforts for both Badami and Killian sand prospects, continuing well and facility maintenance, conducting facility upgrades such as a full overhaul of the Vapor Recovery Unit and turbine enhancements and advancing plans to construct the Badami East Pad in summer 2026."
Therefore, the 2025 POD "is necessary and advisable to protect the public interest," Nottingham wrote.
Based upon the division's prior POD approvals and analysis of the 11 AAC 83.303(b) criteria, the division "finds the 2025 POD protects the public interest, promotes conservation, prevents waste, and protects the parties' interests."
The 2025 POD was approved for the period of July 16, 2025, through July 15, 2026.
The 2026 POD is due April 16, 2026, 90 days before the 2025 POD expires.
--KAY CASHMAN
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