Grassroots wells OK'd at 2 inlet gas fields, Beluga, Cannery Loop

Kristen Nelson

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources' Division of Oil and Gas has approved applications from Hilcorp Alaska for grassroots wells at two Cook Inlet gas fields, Beluga River and Cannery Loop. Beluga River, among the inlet's largest gas fields, is on the west side and Cannery Loop, one of the smaller, is on the Kenai Peninsula.

(See maps in the online issue PDF)

At Beluga River, which Hilcorp operates on behalf of itself and majority working interest owner Chugach Electric Association, the division approved two wells and associated infrastructure March 18 in an amendment to the lease plan of operations for the unit. Both wells will be at J Pad.

The division said the wells will tie into existing J Pad gas production infrastructure. Work will include four flowlines, three instrumentation and electrical lines, a produced water line, six separator packages and three headers, with an existing line heater building to be removed and associated piping and electrical lines to be abandoned below grade.

The division said there will be trenching on the pad for new flowlines, instrumentation and electrical lines, and for subsurface headers, with all work to be done on J Pad, which is some 2 miles south of the mouth of the Beluga River.

Plan work includes:

*Installation of separator packages and flowlines.

*Installation of produced water lines, instrumentation and electrical lines, cellars and conductors and headers.

*Drilling of two grassroots wells.

*Tying in wells with existing infrastructure.

*Installation of heat trace and insulation.

At Cannery Loop, the division approved an amendment to the unit plan of operation on March 15.

One grassroots well, CLU 16, will be drilled on Pad 1, and associated infrastructure will be installed, including flowlines, electrical instrumentation, well cellar and a conductor, with work to include:

*Preparing for drilling activities.

*Drilling and testing the well.

*Installing facility piping and electrical and instrumentation lines tying the well into existing CLU Pad 1 production infrastructure.

*Production of gas from CLU-16.

--KRISTEN NELSON