North Slope readies for action

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 5-10more » 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.« less