Division OKs Talitha drilling program plan

Kristen Nelson

Petroleum News

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Oil and Gas has approved Great Bear Pantheon’s plan of operations for the exploration phase drilling of the Talitha A well at the Talitha unit on the North Slope. The Dec. 28 approval was in response to an Oct. 7 request for approval of the operations plan for the exploration well some 8 miles west of Dalton Highway Milepost 386.7.

The plan approval follows a Nov. 12 division approval of formation of the 44,463-acre Talitha unit; the unit plan included an initial exploration plan (see story in Nov. 22 issue of PN). Working interest owners are Great Bear Petroleum, the operator, and Borealis Alaska.

There is a work commitment in the unit plan, including a $3.3 million performance bond to be posted by Sept. 15, 2021, to ensure that a well is drilled within two years, or two wells within four years, or else the bond is forfeit and the unit terminated five years from the effective date.

Talitha A is planned for ADL 391658, with operations scheduled for this winter. A schedule submitted as part of the operations plan showed approximate dates of Jan. 15 to move the rig in, with the well to spud about Jan. 25.

The division said Great Bear Pantheon will use Nordic-Calista rig 3. The well is expected to be drilled to a depth of some 10,200 feet to test and evaluate multiple Brookian and Kuparuk formation targets.

- KRISTEN NELSON