Furie permitting KLU platform

Army Corps application launches a plan to develop Kitchen Lights unit; includes twin pipelines, an onshore production facility

Eric Lidji

For Petroleum News

Furie Operating Alaska LLC is permitting an offshore platform at its Kitchen Lights unit, according to a public notice published Dec. 4 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

KLU Platform A would underpin long-term production of natural gas from the offshore unit in the upper Cook Inlet, the company said. In its filings, Furie described a development plan including a platform, two subsea gathering lines and a new onshore production facility near Nikiski tying into the regional natural gas distribution grid.

The Army Corps is taking comments through Jan. 4.

Furie would erect the platform within 1,000 feet of KLU No. 1, the exploration well it began drilling last year and later claimed had discovered a major natural gas reservoir.

In filings, Furie described KLU Platform A as having a 64.5-foot by 72-foot deck with a 30-foot by 72-foot living quarters and helicopter deck extending from one side. The platform would also have a 100-foot boom crane. Beneath the deck would be an 18-foot diameter caisson reaching 62 feet above sea level. At the base of the caisson would be eight 51-inch diameter skirt pile sleeves for 42-inch diameter piles with grouted annuli.

Furie intends to ship the pre-fabricated platform, deck and components from an out-of-state construction yard to one of three Alaska ports — Homer, Nikiski or Anchorage.

For development, Furie would use the Spartan 151 jack-up rig it has used for exploration drilling to date, but might also use a smaller temporary platform rig for some completion and maintenance work. When used, the jack-up would be cantilevered over the platform.

The platform would tie back to a proposed onshore production facility through two subsea 10-inch gathering pipelines routed along the Cook Inlet Gas Gathering System corridor, and a 10-inch or 12-inch onshore pipeline connecting the production facilities to the existing CIGGS East Foreland Facility, located on a peninsula north of the Nikiski.

While the permitting documents contain no timeline, Furie previously told lawmakers it would move ahead on installing the platform in 2013. In October 2011, a predecessor at Kitchen Lights, Escopeta Oil Co., estimated it could bring the unit into production within 18 months of a commercial gas discovery, if it faced no interference. “I certainly hope that does happen,” House Speaker Mike Chenault said at the time about a fast development plan free of interference, “but we’re kidding ourselves if we think it will.”

Escopeta drilled the KLU No. 1 well to 8,805 feet in October 2011. Furie returned in May, but in August stopped drilling at 15,298 feet, before reaching the base of the Tertiary, an interval of deep rocks some geologist speculate may contain oil resources.

To meet drilling commitments, Furie began drilling the KLU No. 2 well, but according to information obtained by Petroleum News the well had not reached a depth below 9,000 feet as of November. But Furie completed a sidetrack of the well for testing purposes.