ARCO Alaska Inc. and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. have approved a revised development plan that will increase estimated production rates and reserves for Alpine oil field on Alaska's North Slope.
Recovery from the field is projected to be 429 million bbl of oil vs. an estimate of 365 million bbl made in 1997. The firms have increased projected peak production to 80,000 b/d by 2001, up 10,000 b/d from the previous forecast.
Alpine is 34 miles west of ARCO-operated Kuparuk River field. ARCO and Anadarko expect Alpine to begin producing at an initial rate of 40,000 b/d by mid-2000 (see related story, p. 38).
Revised development
ARCO's and Anadarko's expanded development plan will increase the total number of wells to 112, all of which will be horizontal. Originally planned as a 94-well program with both horizontal and conventional wells, the project grew after further study of the field, say the companies.
Regulatory approval of the revised plan is pending.
"Upon completion, there will be more than 60 miles of reservoir penetrations," said the firms.
The revised plan also involves implementation of enhanced oil recovery at start-up. The EOR project will involve use of miscible injectant generated from the field's natural gas reserves.
The EOR project and the additional horizontal wells account for the production and reserves increases.
"This has been a landmark year for development of the Alpine oil field," said ARCO Alaska Pres. Kevin Meyers. "As we gather more information about the reservoir, it continues to exceed our expectations."
"Work on the Alpine field is continuing," said ARCO Alaska Western North Slope Vice-Pres. Ryan Lance. "Alpine's recently completed, Alaska-built production facilities arrived on the North Slope in early August. The modules will be stored at Kuparuk until early 2000, when they will be moved via ice road to the field."
Meyers added, "Start-up of the field in mid-2000 will help to offset the decline of North Slope oil production. We look forward to seeing Alpine be the first Alaska oil field (to come) on-line in the new millennium."
Because of the Alpine development plan's design, the field's surface development will encompass only about 97 acres, or 0.2% of the 40,000-acre field's area, say the companies. And, to minimize environmental impact, Alpine is being developed without the use of permanent roads. Temporary ice roads, constructed during winter, are used to move construction equipment, production facilities, drilling rigs, and drilling supplies to the site; the site can be accessed only by air during the rest of the year.
Alpine is owned 78% by ARCO Alaska and 22% by Anadarko. Upon completion of the project, the companies will have invested more than $1 billion at Alpine.
