ConocoPhillips Alaska announced Thursday that the company will develop the Nuna project from the 3T drill site in the Kuparuk River Unit.
ConocoPhillips acquired the Nuna acreage in 2019 from Caelus, which had constructed the gravel road and pad for drill site 3T.
Project construction activities will begin this year and continue in 2024, with pipeline and on-pad construction. Drilling is anticipated to begin in late 2024 with first oil anticipated by early 2025, with an expected peak oil rate of 20,000 barrels of oil per day.
“The additional drilling opportunities we’ve identified at Nuna are a positive development that should increase oil production at Kuparuk,” said Erec Isaacson, president of ConocoPhillips Alaska. “Our investment in this project was approved due to Alaska’s stable fiscal regime which is clearly working to promote new and ongoing investment.”
ConocoPhillips Alaska will continue to invest about $1 billion a year to grow its Alaska legacy business with projects such as Nuna.
The Nuna project will add 29 development wells, on-pad infrastructure and pipelines that tie back to existing Kuparuk River Unit processing facilities. Drill site 3T will be the 49th drill site developed within the Kuparuk River Unit.
Nana is east of the Colville River and about five miles southwest of the Oooguruk field.
The prospect was announced as a discovery in 2012. To put in perspective the size of the project, the recently approved Willow Project is expected to produce in excess of 160,000 BOPD at peak.
Photo credit: ConocoPhillips’ Kuparuk field camp, ConocoPhillips.
