ConocoPhillips Alaska is hailing its first oil production on May 18 from Fiord Wet Kuparuk reservoir, a satellite development of the Alpine field being developed in the Colville River area, as a new era of “growth without gravel.”
The North Slope producer said a technologically advanced Doyon 26 rig, capable of drilling in excess of 40,000 feet, will substantially extend the reach from a single pad. That means the rig will be able to develop 154 square miles of reservoir from a 14-are drilling pad, versus 55 square miles using today’s conventional rigs.
Rig 26, owned by a subsidiary of the Alaska Native regional corporation Doyon, Limited, is a fully integrated, multi-modular rig, designed specifically for extended reach drilling operations on Alaska’s North Slope,
Fiord West Kuparuk is a satellite development of the Alpine field that is being developed from the existing CD2 pad in the Colville River Unit. Extended reach drilling technology is being used that eliminates the need for a new gravel pad, additional pipelines, or more roads. Instead, a small expansion of an existing pad was made to accommodate the rig that drilled a total measured depth of 35,526 feet.
