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Plan approvals include more mud, new wells
Division OKs Norh Slope work including Colville River mud plant expansion, KRU pad expansion and wells, polymer injection facility
Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
Over the last month the Alaska Department of Natural Resources' Division of Oil and Gas has approved project work at several North Slope facilities.
On April 19, approval was given for a proposal by ConocoPhillips Alaska to expand an existing mud plant at the Kuukpik Pad in the Colville River unit, with work extending through the end of 2026. The division said the increased volume of drilling mud products would continue to support work at CRU while also providing capacity to support work at Willow in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The Kuukpik Pad is southeast of the CD5 Pad, across the Nigliq Channel from the main Alpine facilities.
Existing equipment will be relocated this year along with installation of new power cables, a new switch and a new vacuum unit.
In 2025 and 2026 the mud plant expansion module and associated equipment will be installed, along with up to 140 vertical support members and pipeline extensions for mineral oil and seawater. Among other work in 2025-26, the tank truck loading/unloading area will be re-set, an additional TTLA installed, the mud plant control system will be upgraded and the new and existing modules will be interconnected.
KRU, Milne Point work The division approved work at the ConocoPhillips Alaska-operated Kuparuk River unit April 29.
Drill Site 3S will be expanded to allow for four additional wells. The division said 1.07 acres of gravel will be added to the west end of the pad for the new wells and associated infrastructure and on the south side of the pad a 0.26 acre expansion will support a new remote electrical and instrument module.
This work was scheduled to begin May 1.
Also on April 29, the division approved a request from Hilcorp Alaska for installation of a polymer injection facility and associated infrastructure on R Pad at the Milne Point unit.
The division said the injection facility will include a silo skid, hydration module, injection module and associated piping and will be placed on 12 13-inch diameter VSMs and four 20-inch diameter VSMs.
The project is for enhanced oil recovery of entrained oil reserves; work was scheduled to begin May 1.
Prudhoe Bay work On March 27 the division approved a request from Prudhoe Bay unit operator Hilcorp North Slope to upgrade exhaust stack and inlet houses at Prudhoe's Central Compression Plant to support improvements at the facility. This work was scheduled to begin April 1 and be completed this year.
It includes installation of up to four new piles for replacement of an existing stack, installation of two inlet houses and nine new piles for each inlet house.
Also at Prudhoe, Hilcorp requested modification of an expansion plan for the Eileen West End Junction Pad, approved late last year. The modification reduces the proposed gravel expansion from 1.1 acres to 0.7 acre. The modification was approved April 26.
The EWE Junction Pad work includes installation of a new 30-inch diameter flowline and a new 14-inch lift line between Gathering Center 2 and EWE Junction in the Western Operating area, requiring installation of a new pipe rack with new VSMs and horizontal support members for the majority of the pipeline route, with additional VSMs and HSMs installed on existing pipe rack at the Kuparuk River crossing.
An ice road and equipment turnaround will be constructed in the 2024-25 ice season. The project was scheduled to begin Jan. 1 and end by Dec. 31, 2025.
The division said the project will improve flow from the EWE Junction to GC2 and increase capacity for production of wells at L, V, W and Z pads.
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