Santos is aiming to begin Pikka in production at the end of 2025.
built for Pikka treats saltwater from the Beaufort Sea for transport to the Pikka field and injection for reser - voir pressure maintenance. Cono- coPhillips operates a similar Seawa- ter Treatment Plant nearby. Oil Search/Santos are already preparing for a phase two at Pikka, which involves two additional pads. The company said previously that phase two work will begin as soon as phase one production is under- way. Further exploration is also be- ing done this winter on discoveries made south of Pikka.
ing along with the used drilling flu - ids, or “mud,” for injection under- ground in a dedicated disposal well. The material is stored in an under- ground reservoir sealed by imper- vious rock in a process approved by the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the state’s quasi-ju- diciary body that regulates “down- hole” oil and gas production includ- ing safe disposal of materials such as drill fluids. There are several Grind and Inject facilities serving other oil fields on the North Slope including the large Prudhoe Bay field. The Seawater Treatment Plant
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six to eight wells. The 2025 plan also includes in- stallation of remaining field pipe - lines and pipelines for crude oil shipments, seawater transport for reservoir pressure maintenance and fuel gas brought in from other fields. Oil Search also will continue work on Pikka’s Grind and Inject facility, Seawater Treatment Plant and com- pletion of the Nanushuk Operations Pad, it told the state Division of Oil and Gas. The Grind and Inject facility grinds the rock cuttings from drill-
— Tim Bradner
THE LINK: WINTER 2025
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