Exxon plans Inlet geotechnical survey

ExxonMobil Alaska LNG LLC will be conducting a geotechnical survey program in Cook Inlet this summer.

In a notice of proposal to issue an Alaska Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources said the work would be done to provide information for engineering decisions on the Alaska LNG Project Cook Inlet pipeline crossing and marine terminal.

The survey includes 42 boring locations along the east and west sides of Cook Inlet. Marine sediment and geotechnical engineering data will be collected. Discharge types include geotechnical drilling fluids and drill cuttings at the seafloor and deck drainage.

The surveys will be conducted along potential pipeline corridors and near the proposed marine terminal and liquefaction facility, with the survey corridor extending from Shorty Creek about halfway between the village of Tyonek and the Beluga River to Boulder Point on the Kenai Peninsula, an area some 28 miles in length and averaging some 8 miles wide, a total some 209 square miles.

The marine terminal survey area includes some 143 square miles at Nikiski where potential sites and vessel routes are being investigated.

The 42 boreholes will range in depth from 50 to 200 feet, and will be drilled with a 10-inch diameter bit with a 9-inch inner diameter. Eight boreholes will be along the east and west sides of Cook Inlet where a pipeline is expected to transition from onshore to offshore; 34 boreholes will be within the LNG marine terminal investigation area.

Public comments are due by 5 p.m. June 22.

- Petroleum News