Petroleum News Ebook
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
page Pacific Energy closes acquisition of 4 Forest Oil’s Alaska assets Vol. 12, No. 35 • www.PetroleumNews.com Published weekly by Petroleum Newspapers of Alaska Week of September 2, 2007 • $1.50 ● PIPELINES & DOWNSTREAM State plans Mount Spurr lease sale Alyeska works issues Strategic reconfiguration project now sequential; part of normal operations By KRISTEN NELSON processes,” he said. Alyeska operates the Petroleum News trans-Alaska oil pipeline on behalf of the owners. trategic reconfiguration, designed to The other thing that has changed is bring the trans-Alaska oil pipeline that work at all four pump stations — 1, into the digital age and also in line 3, 4 and 9 — was planned to be done at COURTESY ALASKA VOLCANO ALASKA VOLCANO COURTESY OBSERVATORY S with current throughput levels of the same time. Alaska North Slope crude oil, has itself Both have changed, and the changes been reconfigured since the project are related. Johnson said in December “a Alaska’s Mount Spurr from the south with Crater Peak in the fore- ground. There may be an underground geothermal brine layer to began in 2003. Jim Johnson, decision was made to scale it back and do the south of Crater Peak and the State of Alaska is preparing to Jim Johnson, Alyeska Pipeline Alyeska it on … a series basis: one pump station hold a lease sale for possible geothermal development in the area. Service Co. vice president of pipeline at a time.” See story page 5. operations, told Petroleum News Aug. 29 that “In addition we made a decision to … fully strategic reconfiguration was originally designed integrate the SR construction into normal Alyeska Greenland resources get to be done with a “project team that came in and major maintenance and projects,” Johnson said, did this for Alyeska,” reporting to the president of and the project has now been “fully integrated … fine-tuning in USGS report Alyeska. Strategic reconfiguration “wasn’t being into Alyeska’s normal way of doing business.” A U.S. Geological Survey report gives a little more mean- done through the normal Alyeska business see ALYESKA page 18 ing to the “green” in Greenland. In a study of the East Greenland Rift Basins Province, ● which covers about 500,000 square kilometers, the USGS fig- GOVERNMENT ures almost 9 billion barrels of oil, 86 trillion cubic feet of nat- ural gas and 8 billion barrels of natural gas liquids are undis- covered and would be technically recoverable from less than Good times roll in Alberta 500 meters of offshore water in the absence of sea ice. Oil royalties allow government to hike resource revenue forecasts for 2007-08 USGS Director Mark Myers said in a news release that By GARY PARK “knowing the potential resources of the Arctic — an area of It is projecting a natural resource “take” tremendous resource potential, environmental sensitivity, For Petroleum News technological risk and geological uncertainty — is critical to of C$10.5 billion — C$237 million more our understanding of future energy supplies to the United or a population of 3.5 million, a budgeted aver- than the original budget — raising its States and the world.” age per-capita return of C$3,000 from oil and surplus target to C$2.5 billion, almost The USGS said it undertook the assessment because of the F natural gas revenues puts Alberta in a rarified C$300 million above the April calculation. Arctic’s “great potential” and expects to release assessments atmosphere among petro-dollar economies out- of all the Arctic “provinces” over the next year. side the Middle East. lion, respectively, returns from oil royalties are now If the combined estimate of 31.4 billion barrels of oil That’s what the Alberta government now figures expected to be C$505 million higher. equivalent is accurate, the “province” would rank 19th among it will rake in from its natural resources in the current Also taking a bite out of export revenues is a the world’s other oil and gas “provinces,” the USGS said. fiscal year, which ends March 31, 2008. stronger Canadian dollar, which reached US93 cents However, the new data is a “significant” shift in the geo- It is projecting a natural resource “take” of C$10.5 in the first quarter, up US7 cents from the budget. logical understanding reached in a 2000 USGS assessment of billion — C$237 million more than the original The government has also tweaked its commodity northeastern Greenland. budget — raising its surplus target to C$2.5 billion, price outlook, hiking oil to US$64 per barrel West almost C$300 million above the April calculation. Texas Intermediate, up US$6, but trimmed gas prices New assessment: more gas Although projected returns from natural gas roy- to an average C$6.50 per gigajoule, C25 cents less, alties and bi-monthly land sales are lagging behind That assessment put the estimates at 47 billion barrels of the initial forecasts by C$123 million and C$144 mil- oil, 81 tcf of gas and 4 billion barrels of NGLs. see ROYALTIES page 19 The USGS said its new data points to significantly more ● gas generation than it previously interpreted. LAND & LEASING How this assessment translates into industry will be of spe- cial importance to Greenland, the world’s largest island that enjoys a substantial degree of home rule from Denmark. Pulling NPR-A out of limbo? It has made only plodding progress towards a functioning oil and gas industry, attracting just one bid in a 2002 sale from BLM shooting for late summer, early fall for Northeast NPR-A lease sale as concerned about developing domestic supplies see GREENLAND page 18 By KAY CASHMAN Petroleum News of oil and gas as President Bush has been. On Aug. 29 the U.S. Bureau of Land he situation described in the top, page 1 story Management told Petroleum News that it is now BREAKING NEWS of the Aug. 26 issue of Petroleum News has targeting “late summer or early fall of 2008” for the T changed. “NPR-A in limbo … no lease sales next NPR-A lease sale, as compared to December 6 Border showdown coming: British Columbia, Montana at planned until after 2008 election” has made 2008. way for this story, which carries a lease sale target Sharon Wilson, chief of BLM Alaska’s office of standstill in feud over coalbed methane development projects date of “late summer or early fall of 2008,” per the communications, told Petroleum News Aug. 29 federal agency in charge of oil and gas leasing in that the date is “based on the current schedule for 9 Prepared for the worst: Shell brings arsenal of tools to the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. the Northeast NPR-A supplemental EIS.” The sup- Alaska in case of spill in Beaufort; works prevention first The change in scheduling is only a matter of a plemental plan “includes additional information few months, but it may be enough time for suc- and analyses completed since 2005,” she said. “The cessful bidders to get their leases issued before the 17 Survey: E&P companies worried: John S. Herold draft supplement was released for public review next U.S. president takes office — an important and comment Aug. 24, and the comment period confirms earlier findings of concern over replacement of spent reserves consideration since the new president might not be see LEASE SALE page 19 2 PETROLEUM NEWS • WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 2, 2007 contents Petroleum News A weekly oil & gas newspaper based in Anchorage, Alaska ON THE COVER 12 Seismic moves into 21st century Alyeska works issues Technical evolution enables assembly of increasingly detailed subsurface information; radical Strategic reconfiguration project now sequential; changes in seismic began in 1970s part of normal operations 17 E&P companies have reserve worries Good times roll in Alberta Oil royalties allow government to hike resource Just-released John S. Herold upstream survey confirms revenue forecasts for 2007-08 finding of earlier surveys: worry over ability to replace spent oil reserves Pulling NPR-A out of limbo? FINANCE & ECONOMY BLM shooting for late summer, early fall for Northeast NPR-A lease sale 4 Pacific Energy closes on Forest Alaska assets 14 OPEC chief blames refinery problems Greenland resources get fine-tuning 14 John Browne joins U.S. equity firm ALTERNATIVE ENERGY GOVERNMENT 15 Alberta faces nuclear test case 4 BLM hosts O&G document preparation Privately held company files regulatory application 6 Heading toward a border showdown for province’s 1st reactor; expects 10 years of public, regulatory hearings British Columbia, Montana at standstill in feud over CBM, coal projects; no new talks in sight, BOOK REVIEW but B.C. won’t impose a moratorium 8 Margonelli’s Oil on the Brain: A good start 14 Judge links Ben Stevens to FBI probe EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL 4 Statoil hits deep gas in Norwegian Sea LAND & LEASING 5 State plans Mount Spurr lease sale Call for applications for geothermal exploration rights attracts enough interest for competitive lease sale, probably in January NATURAL GAS 15 Canadian gas exports keep rising 9 Permitting for Mat-Su CBM in progress PIPELINES & DOWNSTREAM Company has assembled a comprehensive arsenal 7 Easing the pipeline squeeze of tools to clean up oil in case unthinkable should happen in the Beaufort Sea PETROLEUM NEWS • WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 2, 2007 3 Alaska - Mackenzie Rig Report Rig Owner/Rig Type Rig No. Rig Location/Activity Operator or Status The Alaska - Mackenzie Rig Report as of August 30, 2007. Active drilling companies only listed. Alaska Rig Status TD = rigs equipped with top drive units WO = workover operations CT = coiled tubing operation SCR = electric rig North Slope - Onshore Akita Drilling Ltd.