Gas exploration at Red Dog deferred

Patricia Jones, Petroleum News contributing writer

Teck Cominco, the world’s largest producer of zinc at its mine in northwest Alaska, has deferred for at least a year plans to drill two shallow natural gas test wells this summer. Gas exploration work may start sometime next year, although company officials have not yet decided whether to drill in summer or in winter, said Wayne Hall, senior environmental coordinator at the Red Dog Mine, located about 85 miles northeast of Kotzebue.

“Right now, we’re mainly focusing on procuring the necessary permits to do that program,” Hall told Petroleum News May 26. “We decided rather than to try to fast track something, to take a step back … we’re weighing all the different ways to go about this project.”

Some of the shallow gas targets identified by past mineral prospecting are located about a mile from the mine and mill complex. Other targets are within a 10-mile radius, Hall said.

“It makes sense to drill the area closest first. If it pans out, you have the least amount of transportation costs associated with it,” Hall said. “Areas identified in the permit are the close sites.”

Teck Cominco submitted permit applications earlier this spring, an effort to replace the 18 million gallons of diesel used each year at the mill. “It’s exciting from the standpoint of cost savings and environmental emissions,” Hall said.