Environmental Aspects of Contingency Planning at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska

Abstract

BP Alaska Inc.’s current operations are being conducted principally at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, located on the Arctic coast of North America approximately 150 miles southeast of Point Barrow, Alaska, and approximately 200 miles west of the Canadian/United States border. Reconnaissance in this area was conducted by BP personnel as early as 1959. Subsequent to obtaining leases in the area, drilling started in 1963. BP Alaska Inc.’s discovery well — Put River No. 1 was spudded in on November 20, 1968 and an announcement was made on March 13, 1969 that oil had been struck. Atlantic Richfield was actually the first to locate commercial quantities of hydrocarbons in the area with Prudhoe Bay State No. 1 on January 16, 1968, predating BP Alaska’s find by 13 months. Sag River State No. 1 confirmation well was announced June 25, 1968. Further drilling has defined the limits of the structures currently being developed which encompasses some 200 square miles. The spine of the producing area lies on a NW/SE trending axis and is approximately 20 miles long.