Caelus amending Oooguruk plans

Caelus Natural Resources Alaska LLC wants to expand the onshore tie-in pad supporting the Oooguruk unit, essentially doubling an expansion proposal from a previous operator.

The Texas-based independent wants to add some 3 acres to the onshore tie-in pad at Oliktok Point to accommodate a new work camp, warehouse and “other storage areas.”

The expansion would “reduce commute times for workers and improve overall operational efficiency of the Oooguruk development,” the company told state officials.

Previous operator Pioneer Natural Resources Alaska Inc. had proposed the Oooguruk expansion plan in August 2013, planning to expand the offshore gravel drilling island, the onshore tie-in pad and the a seawater flowline. Pioneer sold the unit to Caelus last year.

The original expansion proposal called for adding some 1.4 acres of gravel to the onshore tie-in pad. The expansion was meant to accommodate facilities for a Nuna drill site.

Nuna is a proposed development in the southern reaches of the Oooguruk unit, too far to reach from the gravel island. Caelus is currently deciding whether to sanction the development, which is thought to hold between 75 million and 100 million barrels of oil.

Maximize existing infrastructure

The new proposal from Caelus would eliminate the need for building an additional spur road from the DS-3H facilities. The new proposal would “utilize the existing access road to DS-3H while integrating a separate access within the footprint of the southern expansion,” Caelus wrote in filings. This would reduce the footprint of the project and would keep Caelus crews out of the way of ConocoPhillips crews, according to Caelus.

The project would begin next year with gravel placement and run through April 2016.

The state Division of Oil and Gas is taking comments on the plan through Nov. 5.

- Eric Lidji