http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/eni-drilling-alaska-1.4468435
[Shell partnering in offshore oil drilling in the Arctic. What could go
wrong - other than absolutely everything?]
Oil and gas firm begins drilling in Alaska's Beaufort Sea
The project could result in 20,000 barrels a day of oil production,
according to U.S. regulator
Thomson Reuters
Posted: Dec 31, 2017 7:00 AM CT Last Updated: Dec 31, 2017 7:00 AM CT
Italian oil producer Eni began drilling a new well this week in U.S.
waters off the north coast of Alaska, becoming the first company to do
so since 2015, federal regulators said on Wednesday.
The oil and gas firm is working from an artificial island in the
Beaufort Sea about 5 kilometres off Oliktok Point in the Arctic Ocean.
The well is expected to run more than 10 km long.
The project could result in 20,000 barrels a day of oil production,
according to regulator U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental
Enforcement (BSEE), which said it sent employees to the site to ensure
compliance with federal regulations and safety standards.
Eni, which has existing production facilities on the island and at
Oliktok Point, did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
According to BSEE, Eni plans to use extended-reach drilling techniques
to tap a formation on the Outer Continental Shelf that regulators
approved a year ago.
Eni is exploring the formation in partnership with Royal Dutch Shell
Plc. The companies plan to drill two exploration wells plus two
potential sidetrack wells over the next two years, according to BSEE.
In 2015, Shell abandoned its exploration activities in offshore Alaska,
citing high costs and stringent regulations. In April, U.S. President
Donald Trump signed an executive order to extend offshore drilling to
areas in the Arctic and other places that previously were off limits.
The decision was part of the Trump Administration's policy to maximize
U.S. output of fossil fuels for domestic use and for exporting.
