Partners Approve Alpine Oil Field Development in Alaska

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ConocoPhillips and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. have given formal approval to development of two small oil and gas deposits near the Alpine oil field, in the Colville River Delta west of Prudhoe Bay.

Dec. 26-ConocoPhillips and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. have given formal approval to development of two small oil and gas deposits near the Alpine oil field, in the Colville River Delta west of Prudhoe Bay.


Alpine is now producing but the development of two small "satellite" accumulations, Nanuq and Fiord, has been planned for some time. The projects will stimulate new work for fabrication plants in Anchorage and in pipeline and pad construction on the North Slope.





The projects will involve construction of two new drill sites, CD-3 on the Fiord deposit and DC-4 on Nanuq. Both are within eight miles of the existing Alpine field.





About 40 new production wells will be drilled on the two sites, and production is expected to begin in late 2006. By 2008, peak production rates of 35,000 barrels of oil per day is expected from the two new production pads. The Alpine field itself is now producing about 115,000 barrels per day.





The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Land Management have cleared final regulatory hurdles for development of two new satellite oil fields earlier this month.





ConocoPhillips and Anadarko also have a project underway to expand the capacity of the production facilities in the field, according to ConocoPhillips spokesperson Dawn Patience.





When the expansion is completed, now scheduled for late spring 2005, Alpine's central plant will be able to process 140,000 barrels per day, Patience said.





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© 2004, Alaska Journal of Commerce, Anchorage. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.