Minerals Management Service approves Northstar development plan

Petroleum News Alaska Staff

The U.S. Minerals Management Service approved the development and production plan for the BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. Northstar project Sept 3.

The approval covers the federal portion of the joint state-federal project, and is the first development plan approved for the federal outer continental shelf offshore Alaska.

As many as seven wells will be drilled from the Northstar Island into two OCS leases. Production facilities and offshore pipeline will be on state of Alaska submerged lands.

MMS said it included 10 conditions in the approval of the development and production plan. These include testing of production facilities, compliance with the terms and conditions of the state of Alaska coastal consistency determination and safety requirements such as determining the presence of hydrogen sulfide and the availability of relief well equipment.

MMS also required continued coordination with the North Slope Borough, Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, Native villages, Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope and other tribal governments.

The Northstar development project involves a joint federal-state managed reservoir in the Beaufort Sea offshore the Alaska arctic coast about 12 miles northwest of Prudhoe Bay.