ConocoPhillips is developing the Greater Mooses Tooth 2 oil and gas project located in the North Slope of Alaska, US, with an estimated investment of $1.5bn.
Development of the field is expected to commence by the end of 2018, with first oil expected in 2021. The field is expected to have a peak production capacity between 35,000 and 40,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day (boed).
The Greater Mooses Tooth 2 (GMT 2) project is expected to have a production life of more than 30 years.
Greater Mooses Tooth 2 development timeline
ConocoPhillips submitted a drilling permit application for the GMT2 project to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in August 2015.
The BLM issued a notice of intent (NoI) for the project in July 2016, which required an environmental review process. A supplemental environmental impact assessment was launched for the project, following the NoI.
The BLM issued final supplemental environmental impact statement for the GMT 2 project in August 2018. The project was approved by the BLM and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in October 2018. Financing was also approved in the same month by ConocoPhillips.
Greater Mooses Tooth 2 oil and gas project details
The GMT 2 oil and gas project will be developed within the existing GMT Unit, which is located in the north-east of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A), which contains hydrocarbons reserves spread over an area of 22.1 acres.
ConocoPhillips plans to drill up to 48 production wells, out of which 36 have been approved and the rest are under consideration. The oil and gas production wells will be drilled in the North Slope of Brooks Range, near the Beaufort Sea in Alaska. The drilling pads for the production wells will cover an area of 14 acres.
An 8.6-mile-long (13.8km) pipeline will also be constructed in order to connect the GMT 2 facility to the existing GMT 1 facility and the Alpine central processing facility, which is operated by ConocoPhillips. An 8.2-mile (13.2km) gravel road is also planned to be built.
Oil and gas supply for the GMT 2 project
The oil and gas produced from the Greater Mooses Tooth 2 project will be supplied to the Alpine central processing facility, which is located 36km south-west of the GMT 2 facility.
The hydrocarbons from the processing facility will be transported to the Trans-Alaska pipeline via the Alpine Sales Oil Pipeline and Kuparuk Pipeline. The Trans-Alaska pipeline will further transport the oil and gas to the Alaskan markets.
Details of the Greater Mooses Tooth 1 development
First production from the GMT 1 oil and gas field was achieved in October 2018. The project involved an estimated investment of $725m.
A total of nine oil and gas production wells are drilled as part of the GMT 1 development. The project has a peak production capacity between 25,000boed and 30,000boed.
ConocoPhillips plans to drill up to 33 production wells at the field.
Contractors involved
Northern Economics was contracted by ConocoPhillips to prepare the document detailing the potential impact of the project under the National Environmental Policy Act, as required for the permitting process.