Last week ended with good news from the opposite corners of the North Slope.
On Friday came the word that ExxonMobil has started production at Point Thomson, the first company-operated facility on Alaska’s North Slope and an essential part of any natural gas project.
At full rate production, the facility is designed to produce up to 10,000 barrels per day of natural gas condensate and 200 million cubic feet of recycled gas. Point Thomson is located on state acreage along the Beaufort Sea, 60 miles east of Prudhoe Bay and 60 miles west of the village of Kaktovik.
“The successful startup of Point Thomson demonstrates ExxonMobil’s project management expertise and highlights its ability to execute complex projects safely and responsibly in challenging, remote environments such as the North Slope in Alaska,” said Neil W. Duffin, president of ExxonMobil Development Company.
ExxonMobil and the working-interest owners have invested approximately $4 billion in the Point Thomson development. About 100 Alaska companies contributed to the success of the project, and thousands of people worked onsite and around the state during peak construction activity.
On Thursday, ConocoPhillips revealed that it has approved a plan to spend about $190 million to add another 18 wells and associated infrastructure to fully build out its new CD-5 oil development.
ConocoPhillips has completed 10 of the 15 wells laid out in CD-5’s initial development plan. Production from the site began in October of last year.
The more than $1 billion overall project was designed to accommodate 33 wells, meaning the latest approved drilling program will add another 18 wells.
CD-5 is the company’s latest project in the Alpine field — on the western fringe of the established North Slope. ConocoPhillips expects CD-5 will hit its production target of averaging 16,000 barrels per day this year.