Marathon files to drill northeast of Ninilchik

Kristen Nelson

Marathon Oil Co. has applied to the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission for spacing exceptions for two wells: the Susan Dionne No. 1 and Susan Dionne No. 1 redrill — formerly the McCoy Prospect No. 1 and Ninilchik No. 1 — northeast of Ninilchik on the Kenai Peninsula.

The commission said Marathon requested spacing exceptions for completion of a different zone in an existing exploratory well within 1,500 feet of the property line. The surface location of the well is 144 feet from the south line and 1,488 feet from the east line of section 6, township 1 south, range 13 west, Seward Meridian.

Marathon had an interest in the Ninilchik No. 1, drilled by Unocal in 1962 to a measured depth of 14,940 feet. That well had gas shows from a perforated zone at 3,776 to 3,786 feet. Far North Oil & Gas Inc. permitted an exploratory redrill at the Ninilchik No. 1 in 1985, but that redrill was never done.

The McCoy Prospect No. 1 well, drilled by Alaskan Crude Corp. in 1986, was a development oil well on private land, a 3,840 foot vertical hole.

A hearing date has been tentatively set for Oct. 24, but the commission said that if it receives no requests for a hearing by Oct. 9, it may issue an order without a hearing.