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ConocoPhillips files for exploration drilling in and west of Kuparuk Placer in expansion area of Kuparuk River unit; Titania in area proposed for Colville River unit expansion; Oberon is north of SE Delta; permit applications cover 2002-2007 Kristen Nelson PNA Editor-in-Chief
ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc. has permitting into state agencies for three more winter exploration prospects, and although some of these wells are possible this winter season, in all cases the company has asked for permits which would run from this December through the end of May 2007.
The three prospects include Titania on Kuukpik Corp. lands some five miles east-southeast of Nuiqsut — across the Colville River — and south of the Colville River unit boundary (Alpine is in the Colville River unit).
The other two prospects, Oberon and Placer, are on state land. Oberon is west of the Kuparuk River unit, north of the SE Delta exploration unit. Placer is on land newly added to the Kuparuk River unit, southwest of drill site 3S where the Palm discovery is being developed.
Titania No. 1 Titania includes one ice pad and as many as four reservoir penetrations — two wells and two sidetracks. The Titania No. 1 would be on oil and gas lease ADL 380045, with a proposed surface location 2,370 feet from the north line and 789 feet from the west line of section 23, township 10 north, range 5 east, Umiat Meridian.
An ice pad would be connected by a short section of ice road, 2.7 miles, to the general ice road between Kuparuk and Alpine.
The surface is owned by Kuukpik Corp., the Nuiqsut village corporation, and subsurface ownership is shared by the state and the Arctic Slope Regional Corp. This is an area proposed for inclusion in an expansion of the Colville River unit.
The company said the well would be drilled during winter drilling seasons between December 2002 and June 2007.
If drilled this winter, ice road construction would start as early as tundra travel allowed in December and drilling would begin at the end of January and complete in mid-February with possible testing to follow through early March.
Oberon: three wells ConocoPhillips is permitting three wells at the Oberon prospect west of Kuparuk: Oberon No. 1 (ADL 025595) from a surface location 1,193 feet FSL and 985 feet FEL of section 9-T10N-R6E, UM; Oberon No. 2 (ADL 025580) from a surface location 1,035 feet FSL and 927 feet FEL of section 33-T11N-R6E, UM; and Oberon No. 3 (ADL 025595) from a surface location 1,675 feet FSL and 2,511 feet FWL of section 4-T10N-R6E, UM.
Access to Oberon No. 1 would be from the Kuparuk-Alpine ice road; access to Oberon No. 2 and No. 3 and Placer would be from either an ice road beginning at Kuparuk drill site 3-S or by ice road beginning on the north side of the Alpine pipeline right of way. In either case, the company said, total ice roads for a maximum of four proposed drilling locations this year would be 18 miles.
As many as four reservoir penetrations (two wells and two sidetracks) could be drilled from each ice pad. Placer: three wells The company is also permitting three Placer wells: Placer No. 1 (ADL 025552) from a surface location 1,023 feet FSL and 77 feet FWL of section 33-T12N-R7E, UM; Placer No. 2 (ADL 389132) from a surface location 1,019 feet FSL and 1,350 feet FWL of section 4-T11N-R7E, UM; and Placer No. 3 (ADL 025552) from a surface location 566 feet FSL and 462 feet FWL of section 27-T12N-R7E, UM.
The Placer prospect is in the expansion area of the Kuparuk River unit (see story in Oct. 13 issue of PNA) southwest of ConocoPhillips’ new drill site 3-S, which will develop the Palm discovery.
The potential schedule for this year would be ice road construction in December and January; either the Oberon No. 1 or Oberon No. 3 drilled in February and tested through early March; and the Placer No. 1 or Oberon No. 2 drilled in March and tested in April.
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