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New pad for Prudhoe
Westernmost Omega Pad to support 60 new wells, O&G production facility, more
Kay Cashman Petroleum News
Hilcorp North Slope, operator of the giant Prudhoe Bay unit on Alaska's North Slope, is seeking authorization to build yet another oil and gas production pad in order to access undeveloped oil reserves in the Schrader Bluff reservoir. In its proposed unit plan of operations for the new Omega Pad the company says it wants to drill approximately 60 new wells, including 27 production wells, 27 injection wells, four source water wells and two disposal wells.
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources' Division of Oil and Gas issued a public notice on Aug. 6 in order to give interested parties and agencies an opportunity to comment on Hilcorp's Omega Pad development and infrastructure plans, which involve ADL 028239, west of L Pad, currently the most western Prudhoe Bay pad.
All comments must be received by the comment deadline: 4:30 p.m., Alaska Daylight Time, Sept. 6, 2025.
Project description, scope The new Omega Pad (also referred to as O Pad) will be 23 miles northwest of the Deadhorse Airport.
Hilcorp plans to construct a new road and the pad with drilling and production infrastructure.
An ice road will be constructed connecting the Mine Site E gravel source in the Milne Point Unit to the project area. Hilcorp plans to place 450,000 cubic yards of gravel fill for a total footprint of 33 acres.
The current project scope will involve the construction of the production pad, drilling of new wells, construction of a processing facility, and tie-ins to existing production transport pipelines and gas lift pipelines, electrical infrastructure, and other facilities.
The wells will be constructed in two rows to allow access to the targeted reservoir and avoid subsurface congestion
A new 3-phase production flowline, fuel gas line, access road, and on-pad infrastructure will be installed to support pad operations.
To connect the new Omega Pad to existing L Pad, a new road is required that can accommodate a larger drill rig and construction traffic. The access road will be approximately 5,500 feet in length and 32 feet top of road width.
Gravel will be placed with a minimum compacted depth of 6 feet and will utilize a 2:1 edge slope.
The access road is designed to safely allow bypass around existing L Pad facilities for project construction and operational activities.
Culverts will be installed as necessary to avoid disrupting the natural drainage in the area and to allow adequate fish passage. Culverts will be installed along the new access road between Omega Pad and L Pad.
Fish Habitat permits will be acquired for all locations impacting anadromous waterbodies.
Larger drill rigs Extended reach drilling, which is needed to access identified targets from the Omega Pad, requires the use of larger drill rigs, Hilcorp said in its application.
Larger drill rigs need extra pad space and drilling laydown areas. Therefore, the gravel pad footprint must be large enough to accommodate simultaneous drilling and construction activities.
Pad operations Omega Pad operations will require various on pad support infrastructure, including primary service headers for production, well testing, water injection, and power fluid; a pig launcher building; electrical buildings; hydraulic and inhibitor control buildings; and source water wells.
These source water wells will supply water injection headers and waterflood will begin after start-up to maintain reservoir pressure and maximize oil recovery.
The artificial lift system on Omega Pad will be by jet pumps driven by power fluid. Power fluid will be locally separated with an on-pad separation train.
Water separated from the production wells will have oil removed, and then pressure boosted to power fluid header pressure.
Gas lift gas is dehydrated and compressed at Gathering Center 1 and sent westward through existing pipelines to L Pad. The lift gas distribution system will be extended from L Pad to Omega Pad via pipeline. Due to the cold production of the Schrader Bluff reservoir, heat is required in the process stream for effective separation.
A series of shell and tube heat exchangers will be staged on-pad to heat process fluid.
Operational December 2027 Ice road construction and mining operations are anticipated to begin in December.
Pad and access road construction would begin in January 2026 and be complete by April 2026.
Pipeline construction is anticipated to occur over the following winter ice road season, from February 2027 to April 2027.
Omega Pad is anticipated to be operational in December 2027.
Summer installation of the on-pad facility components is expected.
No gravel will be placed, nor will any ground disturbing activities occur during the summer bird nesting season.
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