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Posted on 12/14/2015 7:02:06 AM PST by thackney
Arctic offshore drilling by Royal Dutch Shell PLC drew protests on two continents this year, but a more modest proposal for extracting petroleum where polar bears roam has moved forward with much less attention.
While Shell proposed exploratory wells in the Chukchi Sea about 80 miles off Alaska’s northwest coast, a Texas oil company wants to build a gravel island as a platform for five or more extraction wells that could tap oil 6 miles from shore in the Beaufort Sea.
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is deciding how to assess the environmental effect of a production plan for the Liberty Project by Hilcorp Alaska LLC, a subsidiary of Houston-based Hilcorp Energy Co.
A successful well would mean the first petroleum production in federal Arctic waters.
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No doubt China will file a complaint with the UN...
Hilcorp Alaska LLC
http://www.boem.gov/Hilcorp-Liberty/
ABOUT THE LIBERTY PROJECT
The Liberty Prospect is located 8.85 km offshore in about 6m of water, inside the Beaufort Sea’s barrier islands. It is 32 km east of Prudhoe Bay and about 13 km east of the existing BP-operated Endicott oil field.
In November 2014, primary ownership and operatorship of Liberty was acquired by Hilcorp. Hilcorp estimates that the Liberty Unit contains approximately 150 million barrels of recoverable, high-quality crude oil.
Hilcorp, a private Houston based company, just gave every one of its 1000+ employees a $100,000 year-end bonus. The company doubled its oil production YOY.
sounds like the Spratleys, doncha know ...
I think that might mean I would have to bring my bigger mittens to work.
Hilcorp proposes building the gravel island in 19 ft of water to support a work surface of 9.3 acres for the drilling facility, which would be similar to the company's Northstar production facility operating since October 2001. It lies in 40 ft of state waters and 31 miles to the northwest of the proposed Liberty Island location, encompassing a work area of six acres.
Gravel islands similar to the one proposed have been built in Alaskan waters to support other production facilities at Oooguruk and Nikaitchuq fields in the Beaufort Sea.
Crowley Offshore Services' hovercraft, Arctic Hawk, entered service in Prudhoe Bay in 2004 transferring BP work crews (now Hilcorp work crews) between land and the Northstar Island production facility about six miles offshore in the Beaufort Sea.
A hovercraft is the most practical mode of transport for this service as the route must be traveled over open water in summer and ice during the winter and a mixture of ice and water during freeze-up and break-up, Crowley said.
Measuring 38.8 feet in length with a 15.5 foot beam, Arctic Hawk is considered a passenger vessel by the U.S. Coast Guard and carries a Certificate of Documentation (and measured at 17 gross and 14 net tons) and Certificate of Inspection issued by Coast Guard Sector Anchorage.
I must be psychic - this will fail to get Federal approval.
Why? Bammy be in charge now.....
I expect it will go through, but it may take about 14 months for the approval.
I’m disappointed that BP couldn’t get their big drill rig to perform for this.
Seems to me that polar bears would probably appreciate a gravel island 6 miles out where they could stop and rest while hunting.
I doubt that drifting out the back door at night for a smoke is going to have many at risk.
I like that their plan is when production is over, the island will remain without the equipment.
The liberals are protesting about gravel...
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