The Explorers 2021: Sidebar: Nanushuk ANS discoveries

Kay Cashman

Petroleum News

Exciting Alaska North Slope discoveries in the Nanushuk formation started in 2015, when innovative explorers Armstrong Oil & Gas and Repsol E&P USA made their Pikka discovery east of the Colville Delta.

ConocoPhillips followed with its Willow discovery in 2016, and in 2017 Armstrong and Repsol successfully drilled the Horseshoe No. 1, confirming that the Nanushuk topset trend extended roughly 40 miles from Pikka.

In 2018, ConocoPhillips discovered West Willow while following up on information from its Putu and Stony Hill wells to define their Narwhal trend.

Armstrong sold its interests in Pikka to newcomer Oil Search (Alaska) LLC which followed up with its successful Mitquq and Stirrup wells in the winter drilling season of 2020.

All told, currently identified resources in the Nanushuk play appear to amount to approximately 3 billion barrels of recoverable oil.

—KAY CASHMAN