Repsol gets some power at Qugruk No. 2

Eric Lidji

For Petroleum News

Efforts to bring a blown-out North Slope exploration well under control recently took a turn for the better after response crew successfully restarted two generators on the drilling rig.

Although frigid temperatures have prevented crews from using any outside equipment, the team was able to bring both the cold-start generator and the No. 3 generator inside the rig into operation, allowing for light and electrical heat in parts of the rig. However, the crews must finish cleaning and drying power components before they can restart the rig.

Accounting for the wind chill, North Slope temperatures have been around 70 below.

The crews have been working around the clock to steam thaw the frozen drilling mud blocking access to components of the rig needed to kill the well. The crews have so far shipped 69,972 gallons of liquids to offsite disposal facilities, but acknowledged that much of the liquid is condensed water from the steam used to thaw the mud and that extreme cold has kept them from moving solid wastes on some days, according to a Feb. 29 situation report from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.

Repsol held a public meeting in Nuiqsut on Feb. 24 with representatives from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and the North Slope Borough. The North Slope Borough held a workshop the following day following by a community meeting.

The Qugruk No. 2 well blew out on Feb. 15 when the exploration well hit a shallow gas pocket at around 2,500 feet en route to a deeper oil target at around 7,000 feet.

The blowout sent some 42,000 gallons of fresh-water based drilling mud onto the ice pad and the surrounding snow-covered tundra, and vented an unknown amount of gas, but did not lead to any injuries or explosions and did not cause any oil to be spilled on the tundra.

Repsol suspended its North Slope drilling operations following the incident to comply with a promise it made to the village of Nuiqsut prior to starting its exploration program.