Doyon permitting Toghotthele well

Doyon Limited is permitting an exploration well this summer near Nenana.

The Alaska Native corporation for the Interior region is permitting the Toghotthele No. 1 oil and natural gas exploration well in the area west of Nenana. The project would begin this winter with construction of a two-mile gravel road to a 500-foot by 500-foot pad.

The well would be between June and September. If time permits, the company would either test the initial well or drill a second well. The company is considering two sites for the wells. One would be on Toghotthele Corp. surface lands, the other on state lands. The sites are between two previous Doyon wells - Nunivak No. 1 and No. 2.

The Nenana basin is the centerpiece of Doyon’s exploration activities.

The company commissioned 2-D seismic surveys in the region in 2005 and 2012, drilled the Nunivak No. 1 well in 2009 and the Nunivak No. 2 well in 2013, commissioned a 3-D seismic survey this past winter and is planning another 2-D seismic survey this winter.

- ERIC LIDJI