North Slope readies for action

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1974 · Pet. Eng. Int.; (United States)

OSTI ID:7074790

Willits, K L

With 2 million bbl/day in ultimate flow already established from the Prudhoe Bay field and excellent chances of additional crude and natural gas from other undrilled areas, the Alaska North Slope will play a prominent role in the future U.S. energy picture. The key to present and future activity lies in the completion of at least 1 oil and 1 gas line to transport the energy to the lower U.S. Work is currently continuing, on a limited basis, with the construction and installation of production facilities in the Prudhoe Bay field. The potentially productive wells already drilled at Prudhoe Bay now total 81 by all companies. By the time the oil pipeline begins operating, 125-130 wells will be completed to produce at an average rate of 10,000 bbl/day each. The activity level in Prudhoe Bay field is expected to increase significantly 1 y after the beginning of construction on the Alyeska line. The long-range future of the North Slope depends on such factors as the final selection of lands under terms of the Native Land Claims Act, and actions taken by the state and Federal governments. Prudhoe Bay field contains an estimated 5-50 billion bbl of reserves, of which 5-10 billion are considered recoverable. The U.S. Navy estimates that the Navy Petroleum Reserve No. 4 holds some 15 billion bbl of oil and 80 trillion ft/sup 3/ of gas.

• OSTI ID: 7074790
• Journal Information: Pet. Eng. Int.; (United States), Journal Name: Pet. Eng. Int.; (United States) Vol. 46
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
022000* -- Petroleum-- Transport
Handling
& Storage
03 NATURAL GAS
032000 -- Natural Gas-- Transport
Handling
& Storage
ALASKA GAS PIPELINE
ALASKA OIL PIPELINE
ARCTIC OCEAN
BEAUFORT SEA
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
PIPELINES
PRODUCTION
PRUDHOE BAY
RESOURCES
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
TRANSPORT