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Unocal plans Swanson River
gas field expansion
Kristen Nelson
Unocal has applied to develop two satellite areas north and northeast of the Swanson River field on the Kenai Peninsula. Gravel pads and roads would be constructed to support a gas exploration plan and if commercial quantities of gas are found, pipelines and production facilities would be installed.
Brian Anderson of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said at a March 13 scoping meeting in Anchorage that an environmental impact statement will be prepared for the project by Harding ESE. The Swanson River field and the proposed satellites are on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, which is managed by Fish and Wildlife. Comments are due by March 30 and a draft EIS is expected to be out for public comment in September. The final EIS will be published in January and agency decisions are expected in May 2002.
The Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Land Management are cooperating agencies for the EIS, Anderson said. Wetlands permits are needed from the Corps and drilling permits from BLM. Exploration drilling in two areas Gravel roads and pads are proposed to support exploration drilling in two areas: the East Swanson River satellite, approximately five miles east of the Swanson River field and the North Swanson River satellite, approximately three miles northeast of field.
Faye Sullivan of Unocal said the wells will be drilled to about 8,000 feet and will target the Sterling gas sands. The life of the satellite fields is probably 20 to 30 years, she said, depending on reservoir size. The Swanson River gas discovery well was drilled by Standard Oil Co. of California in 1960 and four wells were producing from the Sterling sands at depths of up to 7,500 feet according to the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission’s most recent annual report. Multiple pads possible The proposed A pad at the East Swanson River satellite would be connected by approximately 5.4 miles of new road to the existing Swanson River field road system. Unocal said that if commercial quantities of gas are discovered, field delineation and development wells would be drilled and production pipeline and equipment installed.
Two additional pads possible in the East Swanson area are east of the proposed A pad, approximately seven miles east of the Swanson River field boundary. Birch Hill unit included in north satellite Unocal said the North Swanson River satellite includes lands north of the field including the Birch Hill unit. Development of this area would involve a road and pipeline to the Birch Hill unit well No. 22-25. The Birch Hill well was drilled by ARCO Alaska Inc. in 1965 to the Tyonek formation at 7,960 feet and is shut in. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Oil and Gas estimates Birch Hill reserves at 11 billion cubic feet. Another pad could be built along the right-of-way for drilling and production activities. Unocal said the sequence of events for the North Swanson satellite has not been established.
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