AOGCC issues Nikaitchuq North exploration well drilling permit
Eric Lidji Petroleum News
The Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission has issued a permit for Eni US Operating Co. Inc. to drill the Nikaitchuq North No. 1 offshore exploration well.
The drilling permit issued on Dec. 8 covers a directional exploration well heading north and involving four state leases - ADL 388571, ADL 388574, ADL 388583 and ADL 391283 - plus the federally managed waters of the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf. The federal Nikaitchuq North leases lie in the Harrison Bay Block 6423 unit to the north.
Eni is using Doyon Rig 15 to drill the extended-reach well from the existing drill site on Spy Island. The company expects the 35,000-foot well to take between 70 and 80 days.
The results of the Nikaitchuq North No. 1 well will determine whether Eni proceeds with a sidetrack this winter and a second well next winter, according to company officials.
The federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said in a Dec. 27 release that its inspectors were on site Dec. 25 and that the well has been spud.
- ERIC LIDJI
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