Conoco plans NE West Sak wells

Kristen Nelson

Petroleum News Editor-in-Chief

ConocoPhillips Alaska told state and federal agencies the company plans to drill five Northeast West Sak appraisal wells in the Kuparuk River unit south of Milne Point this coming winter. Two of the wells will be from gravel pads and three from ice pads.

These viscous wells in the northern part of Kuparuk would include downhole samples and logging, but no well flow tests or flares, Tom Manson of ConocoPhillips’ permitting group said Oct. 19. The wells are planned to characterize the area for a possible future drill site, he said at an Alaska Oil and Gas Association 2005 projects conference.

Manson said ConocoPhillips will permit six well locations on state lands: Antigua 1, 2, 3 and 4 south of Kuparuk drill site 1J, and Cronus 1 and 2. Antigua is off the southeast corner of the Kuparuk River field; Cronus is west of Meltwater. Pioneer Natural Resources has told state regulators it is looking at drilling wells this winter on both prospects as part of a farm-in agreement with ConocoPhillips. (In July, ConocoPhillips filed a two-lease exploration unit application with the state for Cronus prospect and said it would drill an exploration well this winter.)

Although Manson did not indicate ConocoPhillips was going to drill in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska this coming winter, he did say the company was permitting three prospects in Northeast NPR-A: two wells at Hornet, two at Nugget just north of Hornet and a second well at Noatak where the company permitted one well last year but did not drill. These locations are some 40 to 50 miles west of the Colville River unit.

Noatak is north of the Kokoda prospect ConocoPhillips drilled last winter; Nugget is east of Kokoda.

In northwest NPR-A, the company is permitting Aviullaavik, with plans to permit and retain the ability to drill two locations. Aviullaavik is southwest of Puviaq in township 14 north, range 13 west, Umiat Meridian. ConocoPhillips is partners with Anadarko Petroleum and Pioneer Natural Resources on several tracts in this area.

Editor’s note: See North Slope Exploration Report in Oct. 2 issue of Petroleum News.