Drilling continues at Cosmopolitan

Drilling continues at Phillips Alaska Inc.’s Cosmopolitan project near Nikiski, Phillips spokesman Natalie Knox told PNA Nov. 15. This aerial photo was taken Sept. 29, prior to spudding the first well in mid-October. The Hansen No. 1 is being drilled by Nabors Rig 273, one of the largest land-based drilling rigs in North America. Knox said it took 70 truckloads to transport the rig from the Lower 48 to Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. Drilling is being done from private land on a bluff overlooking Cook Inlet. The sidetrack will extend up to 18,500 feet (3.5 miles) to reach an offshore bottom hole at approximately 7,000 vertical feet. Drilling is expected to be complete by mid-December, Knox said.