Buccaneer permitting Cosmo wells

Buccaneer Alaska Operations LLC wants to amend its Cook Inlet oil discharge prevention and contingency plan to include a pair of wells at the Cosmopolitan prospect.

The proposal would amend its currently approved plan for the offshore Northwest and Southern Cross prospects to include the Cosmopolitan No. 1 and No. 2 exploration wells.

Under the proposed amendment, Buccaneer would begin winter operations in southern Cook Inlet when ice conditions are less than 10 percent and would end operations when ice conditions exceed 10 percent between November and April.

In the amendment, Buccaneer is also proposing a response planning standard of 800 barrels per day for 15 days to total 12,000 barrels for the Cosmopolitan wells.

The state is taking comments on the proposal through Dec. 28.

Buccaneer would drill the wells using its Endeavour jack-up rig. According to the Homer Tribune, the company expects the rig to remain in Homer through at least early December while it waits for additional permits for its Cosmopolitan exploration program.

—Eric Lidji