By Meredith Kenny
On a cold and dark Alaska winter day in December 2021, ConocoPhillips announced that after many years of hard work and dedication, the Greater Mooses Tooth 2 (GMT2) drill site had achieved first oil production on schedule and under budget.
“It’s been great to see the teams maturing this project from concept through execution,” said Western North Slope Asset Development Manager Steve Thatcher. “The collaboration between functions has really been exceptional.
“To develop a project in Alaska, in the NPR-A (National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska), requires a lot of coordination, with everyone pulling together in the same direction to ensure the project’s success; GMT2 is a great example of that. There’s also a lot of external agency and stakeholder engagement that takes place to ensure we’re developing the natural resources optimally and with as minimal environmental impact as possible. I wish to congratulate everyone that has been a part of GMT2’s story!”
GMT2 is the second Greater Mooses Tooth Unit project in the northeast NPR-A, following on the CD5 and GMT1 developments. GMT2 is expected to produce 140 million barrels of oil over the life of the field, with peak oil production estimated to reach 30,000 barrels per day. The 36-well project has 18 planned producers and 18 injectors, utilizing long lateral sections ranging from 8,000 to 14,000 feet in length (about half the height of Mount Everest). As of February 2022, five wells had been drilled and completed, producing around 10,000 barrels of oil per day.
“The GMT2 drilling team includes hundreds of talented cross functional individuals and key suppliers that have planned and are now executing the well delivery in a safe and an environmentally sustainable manner,” said Alaska Wells Manager Luke Lawrence. “The team has quickly implemented learnings while developing a continuous improvement culture that effectively and efficiently delivers wells into the production system. They have tackled significant challenges and continue improving all phases of the well delivery.”
Over the course of three winter seasons, the team built a 14-acre drilling pad, 8-mile gravel road and pipeline facilities connected to existing infrastructure. At peak construction during the past three winter seasons, the project created about 700 jobs, resulting in more than 600,000 direct construction hours. To date, more than three million work hours have been invested into the GMT2 project.
“Thousands of people across the company, and the supply chain, have had a hand in shaping this complex infrastructure project over the past few years,” said Capital Projects Manager Ben Tier. “Along with the more usual project challenges, the team also had to contend with the unprecedented global pandemic. GMT2 showed Alaska at its best, working together to deliver safely, on time, and on budget. Everyone involved should be very proud of what they have achieved.”
GMT2 produces royalties for the federal government and the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation. Production and other taxes are paid to the state of Alaska.
The project was designed to minimize the footprint on the tundra and minimize environmental impact. Half of the federal royalties are set aside into the NPR-A development fund to be distributed via grants to impacted communities.
Shortly after achieving first oil, ConocoPhillips Alaska’s Greater Mooses Tooth 2 received the Alaska Oil and Gas Project of the Year Award for Environmental Stewardship. This award is given to a project that demonstrates superior environmental stewardship in its area of design, construction or operation, and/or an innovative approach that sets a new standard for industry design, construction or operation in Alaska.
In addition to completing GMT2, ConocoPhillips Alaska continues making substantial investments in long-term projects on the North Slope. The Greater Mooses Tooth and Colville River Units are approximately 100 percent owned and operated by ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc.