Willow, however, will be able to sup- port development of smaller discov- eries made nearby, much like Alpine has supported production from the CD-5, GMT-1 and GMT-2 deposits, which are in the NPR-A.
ed produced fluids being shipped for processing to the Alpine processing facilities. The larger Willow discovery, now under construction, is too far to be served by Alpine’s processing plants, however, and will have its own stand- alone infrastructure, including an oil processing plant. The new facilities at
place during the upcoming 2025-26 winter drilling season, the company announced in its statement. “We have invested billions of dol- lars to purchase leases in the NPR-A, conduct exploration activities and re- sponsibly develop our leases subject to some of the most stringent envi- ronmental protections in the world,” according to ConocoPhillips officials. “Responsible oil development in the NPR-A supports our nation’s ener- gy security, well-paying union jobs and economic benefits to local Alaska Native communities and the state of Alaska. The NPR-A is a petroleum re- serve that was set aside by Congress for oil development.” The NPR-A is a large 23-mil- lion-acre federal land reserve on the western North Slope created in 1923 by President Warren Harding for pos- sible oil reserves for the U.S. Navy. It was designated as Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 and was managed by the Navy until Congress transferred it to the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1976 and renamed it as the Nation- al Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The Navy conducted explora- tion across much of the reserve af- ter World War II. A small oil field was discovered at Umiat, at the far south- east border of the reserve with state lands, as well as a gas deposit at Bar- row, now renamed Utqiaġvik. Umiat’s oil resource was explored in the 1950s and again by private companies in the 1980s but no commercial production was established. However, the gas resource at Utqiaġvik was developed and now supplies energy to the local Inupiat community as well as a nearby mil- itary installation. Despite extensive drilling by the federal government and later by pri- vate companies, no significant dis - coveries were made in the NPR-A un- til recent years when ConocoPhillips began drilling in the northwest part of the reserve, west of state lands where there is production. ConocoPhillips discovered and has developed three medium-sized de- posits, CD-5, GMT-1 and GMT-2, all now producing with infrastructure built from the company’s nearby Al- pine Field on state lands. This includ-
— Tim Bradner
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Photo Courtesy ConocoPhillips Alaska
ConocoPhillips has multiple operating projects in Alaska including its GMT-1 (above) and GMT-2 projects.
were suspended because of the global pandemic. Willow West is described by sources as a likely “satellite” to Willow, meaning a nearby deposit that is close enough to be developed with an extension of Willow’s infra- structure. While the new drilling is only in- directly linked to Trump’s new law, which deals mainly with new leasing, the legislation is helpful in revoking restrictive land management regula- tions imposed in the NPR-A in 2023 by former President Joe Biden. In a statement, ConocoPhillips said it has submitted a permit application
to the U.S. Bureau of Land Manage- ment (BLM) for a seismic program in a large area south of the company’s leases in the Greater Mooses Tooth Unit, where the company is currently producing from its GMT-1 and GMT- 2 projects, and the Bear Tooth units where Willow is located. The seismic survey would update data from a geophysical program done in the 1980s. The company said its four-well exploration program in- cludes one well in the Greater Moos- es Tooth Unit, one well in the Bear Tooth Unit and two additional wells to the west. The activity would take
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The company has not released in- formation on specific drilling targets but industry sources familiar with the NPR-A believe the testing will include tests near two previous Con- ocoPhillips discoveries in the area dubbed “Willow West,” a prospect a few miles west of the current Willow project, and “Harpoon,” a potential larger discovery to the southwest. Harpoon No. 2 was drilled to 5,611 feet in 2020 and encountered hydro- carbons, ConocoPhillips announced, but two delineation wells planned
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