ConocoPhillips planning 15 CD-5 wells

Colville River unit activities will focus largely on bringing Alpine West into production; some Kuparuk work planned

Eric Lidji

For Petroleum News

As expected, Colville River unit activities this year will be primarily devoted to CD-5.

Through the first quarter of 2016, operator ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc. plans to drill at least 15 horizontal wells from the still-under-construction CD-5 pad, according to an annual status update for the unit filed with state officials in mid-March. The program will begin with 13 wells into the Alpine A sand - six production wells (CD5-03, CD5-04, CD5-05, CD5-09, CD5-10 and CD5-11) and seven injection wells (CD5-01, CD5-02, CD5-06, CD5-07, CD5-08, CD5-12 and CD5-13). The program will also include a campaign for a Nanuq Kuparuk sand - the CD5-314 horizontal producer, CD5-315 horizontal injector and, depending on well results and rig availability, the CD5-SUN3.

Through a predecessor, ConocoPhillips brought the Colville River unit into production from the Alpine field in 2000. The company completed initial development from the CD-1 and CD-2 pads by November 2005, at which point activities shifted to developing peripheral targets and the three existing Alpine satellites: Qannik, Fiord and Nanuq.

Alpine West will become the fourth satellite once ConocoPhillips finishes building the CD-5 pad this year and begins its drilling program. The project includes a gravel pad and a road and pipeline corridor connecting to the existing Alpine field infrastructure.

As with the main Alpine field, CD-5 activities will primarily target the Alpine sands but will include the Kuparuk sands. Through separate operations in 2008 and 2014, ConocoPhillips converted three CD-1 Alpine wells to produce from the Kuparuk. The Nanuq Kuparuk participating area began production in November 2006 and performance, at 1,000 barrels per day, “continues to exceed expectations,” according to the company.

This year, the company also plans to drill one well from the CD-4 pad. CD4-93 would be a production well targeting the Alpine A sand in the southern periphery of the field.

ConocoPhillips has been developing the Alpine sands using horizontal wells and alternating water and gas injections. The company performed three fracture stimulations in 2014 with “an appreciable production rate increase” and has “tentatively” planned two fracture stimulations at Alpine this year and six more at the CD-5 A sand in early 2016. The company might also perform one fracture stimulation on a Fiord satellite well this year.

ConocoPhillips said it has no specific exploration activities planned for the Colville River unit this year but was “evaluating exploration opportunities to conduct in 2016.”

Production figures

The Alpine pool includes the Alpine participating area and the Nanuq Kuparuk participating area. As of the start of 2015, ConocoPhillips had drilled 130 wells into the Alpine and nine wells into the Nanuq Kuparuk. The Alpine produced 33,800 barrels per day in 2014 and 389 million barrels cumulative through the end of 2014. The Nanuq Kuparuk produced 500 bpd in 2014 and 25.5 million barrels cumulative through 2014.

The Fiord pool includes the Fiord Kuparuk participating area and the Fiord Nechelik participating area. As of the start of 2015, ConocoPhillips had drilled five wells into the Fiord Kuparuk and 23 wells into the Fiord Nechelik. The Fiord Kuparuk produced 1,400 bpd in 2014 and 12.6 million barrels cumulatively through 2014. The Fiord Nechelik produced 12,100 bpd in 2014 and 46.1 million barrels cumulatively through 2014.

The Nanuq pool is the Nanuq participating area. As of the start of 2015, ConocoPhillips had drilled nine wells into the Nanuq. The Nanuq produced 1,600 bpd in 2014 and 2.6 million cumulative barrels through 2014. The Qannik pool is the Qannik participating area. As of the start of 2015, ConocoPhillips had drilled nine wells into the Qannik. The Qannik produced 1,700 bpd in 2014 and 4.8 million cumulative barrels through 2014.