Hilcorp Alaska is seeking federal permits and authorizations as it works to stay ahead of the depletion of existing natural gas wells in Cook Inlet. The National Marine Fisheries Service recently announced that Hilcorp applied for authorization to incidentally harass certain species of marine mammals during oil and gas activities in the region. The request covers a five-year period starting this year and includes plans to drill three new natural gas wells.
The public comment period for the application ends on April 14.
Hilcorp has been investing more than $200 million annually to ensure a steady supply of natural gas for Southcentral Alaska. Despite holding leases that have been actively developed since the 1960s — many of which were considered near the end of their productivity by 2010 — the company has invested over $1 billion in Cook Inlet over the past decade.
The request covers a five-year period starting this year and includes plans to drill three new exploration natural gas wells utilizing their jack-up rig. This activity comes in addition to Hilcorp’s development wells they drill annually. The three planned wells are just a small part of its broader development strategy, which also includes thorough onshore leases on the Kenai Peninsula
The NMFS application is an expected stage in the larger $200 million investment for this year announced by Hilcorp in January, following similar investments in previous years.
As time goes on, extracting gas from Cook Inlet has become more challenging. The most accessible reserves have already been tapped, requiring Hilcorp to employ advanced technology and increased financial resources to access deeper or more complex reserves.
Hilcorp’s NMFS petition follows standard regulatory procedures and encompasses four stages of activity: exploration, development, production, and decommissioning within Cook Inlet. The proposed operations include:
- Up to 54 days of tug operations for positioning a jack-up rig for production drilling at existing platforms.
- Up to 70 days of pile driving for production well development at the Tyonek platform.
- Up to six days of tug operations and 18 days of pile driving for exploration drilling at specific locations.
- Up to 22 days of pipeline replacement or installation activities.
Hilcorp plans to drill one exploration well in 2026 between the platforms known as Anna and Bruce on the northern side of Trading Bay. It plans two exploration wells in the Middle Ground Shoal unit in 2028. But the drilling could come at any time during the five-year period.
The company has requested authorization for “Level B” harassment of 12 species, including the Cook Inlet beluga whale, and “Level A” harassment for nine additional species. The activities are expected to generate underwater noise that could bother marine mammals.
This petition follows a previous NMFS letter of authorization granted to Hilcorp in 2019, which permitted similar incidental harassment of marine mammals during oil and gas activities in Cook Inlet.
I hope they can get things done in four years.