Point Thomson: Exxon drills first well — at long last
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The news coming out these days about the Point Thomson unit on the North Slope is positive, not mired in negativity associated with a contentious battle with what had proved to be a difficult state agency. The judicial system recently weighed in, and a long-running dispute was largely resolved.
That in itself was good news. But on Tuesday came more encouraging news out of Point Thomson: Exxon Mobil announced it had finished drilling the first development well for the Point Thomson project. The 16,000-foot well was drilled onshore using directional technology to reach a gas deposit
1.5 miles offshore under the Beaufort Sea.
That first well has been capped, and the drilling rig is moving on to a second site in the Point Thomson Unit.
Exxon says production at Point Thomson, about 60 miles east of Prudhoe Bay, is expected to start in 2014. Production at first will produce hydrocarbon liquids, with the gas being reinjected into the reservoir.
It is hoped that Point Thomson’s gas won’t continually be returned to the reservoir, however. The gas is vital to the economics of the proposed natural gas pipeline to the Lower 48.
So, in a way, Exxon’s successful drilling of this first development well after years of trouble with the state can be seen a step toward the gas line that we all hope for.
Alaska’s oil industry — and Alaska itself — needs to have a steady supply of news like this in order to not only survive but also thrive in a competitive global marketplace.
show wells is because they were in danger of losing their leases and they know the alaskans are fed up with their tactics. Im still wating
to see how forceful this is going to be and
how they will use it as a wedge to wring more
consesions out of our weak kneed republicans in
the legislature. This area should have been
turned over to another company with strict
standards that we ENFORCE and exxon should
have been shown the door.
The gas would not be "reinjected into the reservoir," it would be "injected" after it's brought to the surface for the FIRST time. More attention to precise semantics please. You could say the gas was "returned" to the reservoir, but not "reinjected."
Joe LaRocca
Shokd, why don't you move back to California where I believe they have somewhere around 65 percent combined taxes and they pretend not to make any money off the oil industry. You might be happier. Of course, you could be posting from CA right now, couldn't you?
After the insufferable court appointed slap on the hand this company received for the Valdez disaster, what the fk are we even allowing this company in the state for?
Sounds like The Alliance is now writing the editorials directly.
It is truly amazing what seriously threatening to take away leases after 30 years of stalling will do to motivate Exxon.