Total drops slope leases to focus on NPR-A

Kay Cashman

Petroleum News Publisher & Managing Editor

TotalFinaElf E&P USA, a subsidiary of Total S.A., has dropped all its Alaska North Slope leases outside of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska to concentrate on exploration and development of the 20 leases it picked up in a June 2002 NPR-A lease sale.

“The original leases in Alaska at the time of the merger were owned by Petrofina Delaware Inc., whose exploration strategy was not consistent with the larger TotalFinaElf E&P USA strategy, which is to aim for larger reserves and operated leases to establish a good position in Alaska,” Kathy Temple, TotalFinaElf E&P USA’s communications manager, told Petroleum News in early May.

Next winter, TotalFinaElf is planning to drill its first well in a multi-well exploration program in NPR-A.

In January 2002, TotalFinaElf began divestiture of its leases outside NPR-A with the assignment of its working interest in the eastern North Slope Badami unit to partner BP Exploration (Alaska).

Since that time, TotalFinaElf has also assigned its partner, Anadarko Petroleum, its 30 percent working interest in 17 leases south of the Kuparuk River unit which it acquired in state lease Sale 87 in 1998. Those leases include Whiskey Gulch and on the west are adjacent to Anadarko’s Hot Ice prospect that was drilled and suspended this winter. One lease adjoins Meltwater North, a Kuparuk satellite.

Two leases where TotalFinaElf had a working interest on the west side of the Point Thomson unit expired due to unit contraction. TotalFinaElf’s Sandpiper unit leases, where it had a working interest with Murphy Oil, were allowed to expire.