Italian oil producer Eni, through its subsidiary Eni US Operating Co Inc, started drilling a new well in US waters off the north coast of Alaska, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) informed.
BSEE approved the plan in July, making the oil and gas company the first one allowed to explore for oil in US waters off Alaska since 2015. The work is realized from an artificial island in the Beaufort Sea and is expected to produce up to 20,000 barrels of oil a day.
Two BSEE personnel were on-hand Monday ensuring compliance with approved permits, federal regulations and safety standards.
“The Arctic is an important component of the Administration’s national energy strategy, and today’s news is great for America as the United States advances toward energy dominance,” said Interior’s Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Joe Balash. “Interior is actively working with a number of Alaska Native partners, who rely on the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas for their subsistence way of life, to ensure a healthy environment for today and future generations.”
In addition to the new federal OCS drilling operations from Spy Island, BSEE Alaska Region personnel, in coordination with State of Alaska, currently oversee oil production at Northstar Island in the Beaufort Sea, producing approximately 10,000 barrels of oil per day. A second project in the Beaufort Sea, known as Liberty, is currently in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement phase with the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management. If permitted, Liberty would be the first completely federal OCS production facility in Alaska.
