OCS Scientific Committee Meeting Summary - Alaska OCS Region
Update
The Northstar Development and Production Plan submitted by BP Exploration Alaska was
approved by the Alaska OCS Region last September. This is the first development plan
approved by MMS in Alaska. The approval is limited to the drilling of wells into the
Federal OCS from the Northstar Island which will be located in State of Alaska waters. The
Northstar facility and the subsea pipeline are totally within State of Alaska lands and
waters and most production will be from State leases. The pipeline will be the first
buried in the seabed in an Arctic ice environment and has undergone much scrutiny by State
and Federal agencies and the public.
Construction on Northstar started in the winter of 2000 with the first production expected
sometime in 2001. Recoverable reserves are estimated at 158 million barrels of oil with
peak daily production estimated at 65,000 barrels per day.
As part of the North Slope Oil Spill Contingency Plan, BP and Alaska Clean Seas recently
conducted equipment demonstrations and deployment drills for their barge-based oil spill
response tactics in broken ice.
Northstar has been undergoing a great deal of scrutiny from Federal and State agencies and
the environmental community. Greenpeace has filed two lawsuits, one challenging the
approval of the Northstar Development and Production Plan and one regarding a Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) request. The MMS will continue to monitor the progress of these
lawsuits. Also, the Alaska OCS Region has been responding to two additional FOIA requests
regarding Northstar that are not part of lawsuits.
The Alaska OCS Region is also in the process of writing an EIS for BP’s Liberty
Development and Production Plan for a facility on the Beaufort Sea OCS. The proposed
Liberty Project is a man-made gravel island with a buried pipeline to bring production to
shore. It is located about five miles offshore in Foggy Island Bay and 20 miles east of
Prudhoe Bay. Onshore, the Liberty pipeline will connect to already constructed pipeline
that transports oil from the onshore Badami Field located about 10 miles away. The
prospect is expected to contain 120 million barrels of oil. If the proposed project is
approved and stays on schedule, construction could begin in 2003 with first production
planned for 2004.
Another issue for the Alaska OCS Region has been the topic of natural gas. The Region has
been working on leasing and oil development issues for over 20 years. This year a new
issue of gas development has become significant. Industry is considering a route for a
natural gas pipeline from Prudhoe Bay, northward to about 4 miles offshore, eastward 300
miles, then southward along the Mackenzie River, and finishing at Calgary, Alberta. Most
of the offshore portion would be on the U. S. OCS. (The other major alternatives are
onshore.) Industry leaders have indicated they want to select a preferred route by the end
of 2001. If the preferred route is on the OCS, the MMS would be responsible for issuing
permits. A buried gas pipeline (as opposed to an oil pipeline) under the seafloor of the
Beaufort Sea is a new issue. If the Beaufort OCS is the preferred route, the Alaska OCS
Region may need to conduct environmental studies on a variety of environmental issues.
The MMS has worked and will continue to work with the environmental groups, the State,
other Federal agencies, the North Slope Borough, and the Native villages on the activities
in the central Beaufort Sea.
The MMS is pleased that the SC had the foresight to form a subcommittee that participated
in the design and implementation of the Arctic Nearshore Impact Monitoring in Development
Area (ANIMIDA) study and looks forward to benefiting from further input from the Arctic
Monitoring Subcommittee in the design and implementation of more proposed studies.
For more information, contact Julie Reynolds.
