Qugruk cleanup completed, for now

Eric Lidji

For Petroleum News

Since bringing it under control in March, crews have finished cleaning up a blown out North Slope well, according to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.

A group from Kuukpikmiut Subsistence Oversight Panel Inc., or KSOP, and the village of Nuiqsut visited the site on April 1 and “was satisfied with the work that had been done and said that they did not believe that any further clean up needed to be performed,” according to an April 10 DEC situation report. A final inspection team composed of representatives from the North Slope Borough, KSOP, DEC, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources and Repsol toured the pad on April 5 and “agreed that no further clean up actions were required.” A team of DEC field monitors left the site on April 6.

Because drilling mud and brackish water can impact tundra plants by changing the salinity of the soil, DEC crews will return to the site this summer for final samples “to confirm the area is clear of residual contamination” and decide on a restoration plan.

A surveying contractor hired by operator Repsol E&P USA Inc. determined that 21,114 gallons of downhole material from the Qugruk No. 2 well sprayed across 23.75 acres of snow-covered tundra, including an area of 16.76 acres misted too lightly to recover.

Alaska Clean Seas, Pacific Environmental Corp. and CCI Inc. have been using loaders, excavators, trimmers, skid-steers, hydraulic hammers and snow machines to remove material from the heaviest contaminated zones and hand tools in other areas. As of April 10, the crews reported clearing some 6,286 cubic yards of material from the snow-covered tundra around the well site and 2,402 cubic yards of downhole material.

During preliminary clean-up operations before well control, crews removed 116,928 gallons of drilling mud and freshwater from steam used to thaw that mud from the pad.

The Qugruk No. 2 well blew out on Feb. 15 when the drill bit hit a shallow pocket of natural gas at about 2,500 feet en route to a deeper oil target at around 7,000 feet.

The gas was diverted away from the rig and crews shut down equipment to avoid igniting gas. The well stopped flowing the next day and there were no injuries, according to DEC.

Following the incident, Repsol suspended its North Slope drilling program and the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission subsequently withdrew the drilling permits for all three Qugruk pads. Upon request, Repsol reapplied for the permits to drill the Q-1 and Q-4 wells, but decided to plug and abandon the Q-2.

In early March, Repsol restarted drilling operations at its Kachemach 1 ice pad farther south from the Qugruk pads in a geologically dissimilar section of the North Slope.