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APA Corporation APA, along with its partners, Lagniappe Alaska, LLC and Oil Search (Alaska), LLC (a subsidiary of Santos Limited), recently announced a major milestone in Alaska’s North Slope. The consortium successfully completed flow testing at the Sockeye-2 exploratory well, achieving impressive results that could significantly enhance future developments in the region.
Strong Performance at Sockeye-2 Well
The Sockeye-2 well was drilled to approximately 10,500 feet and encountered a Paleocene-aged clastic reservoir with outstanding features, like an average porosity of 20%. Completed in a single 25-foot interval at around 9,200 feet TVD, the well flowed without stimulation or artificial lift, averaging 2,700 barrels of oil per day over a 12-day production test. These results confirm a reservoir quality significantly superior to comparable discoveries further west, setting a new benchmark for shallow-marine reservoirs on the eastern North Slope.
An Insight Into the North Slope Project
The North Slope project was announced under a joint venture between APA Corp, which holds a 50% working interest; Lagniappe Alaska, LLC, which owns a 25% operating interest and Santos, which holds the remaining 25% interest.
The joint venture commenced an initial exploration campaign in its North Slope position in 2023 but couldn't reach its objectives within the seasonal time window for drilling. It tried again in 2024 with plans for three exploratory wells, one of which was King Street-1. King Street-1 was a new field discovery with oil in two separate Brookian zones.
The Sockeye-2 is the second successful exploratory well drilled by the joint venture on 325,411-acre state land. It demonstrates the potential of the region and provides the partnership with an exciting opportunity in an active area of the North Slope with significant existing infrastructure.
A New Chapter for Alaska’s Energy Future
The partner companies highlight the importance of the positive results from the Sockeye-2 well for the future of Alaska. They state that the success of the Sockeye-2 will significantly extend the prolific Brookian topset play that was originally established with the Pikka discovery in 2013. They further emphasized that the Sockeye-2 results will validate their geological models and reduce risk for further prospects in the block. This discovery, along with the planned appraisal drilling in the future, could mark a pivotal moment for Alaska’s energy landscape, offering promising opportunities for exploration and development.