據9月23日High North News報道，石油巨頭荷蘭皇家殼牌公司提交了在阿拉斯加北部海岸恢復石油和天然氣勘探的計劃。自2015年該公司放棄了在更遠的西部和更深的水域的Burger J勘探區尋找石油，至今已有5年。

殼牌提交了地震活動和勘探鉆探計劃，該計劃是在西哈里森灣許可證上進行的，該許可證位于阿拉斯加國家石油儲備區的近海。與Burger J許可勘探區相比，該區域靠近海岸，水域較淺，冰層條件也不那么苛刻，因此在技術上沒有那么困難。

該公司正在尋求批準與其他公司合作，在其18份租約中勘探這86400英畝的土地。

根據該文件，在新冠肺炎疫情對市場環境造成負面影響和油價暴跌之前，殼牌在更好地了解資源領域和確定項目合作伙伴方面取得了進展。

報告表示，在全球疫情大面積爆發的情況下，對“作業和調查的后勤限制”使得目前無法吸引潛在投資者參與“高風險項目”。

在其5年計劃中，該公司建議在2021至2022年進行地震研究，更新地質數據，最終確定油井和儲層設計，并在2023至2024年開始并擴大勘探。勘探區位于廣受歡迎的Nanushuk地層之上，該地層是北坡西部最具潛力的地層之一。

王佳晶 摘譯自 High North News

原文如下：

Shell Plans to Resume Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration in Arctic Alaska

Oil Major Royal Dutch Shell submitted plans to resume oil and gas exploration in waters off Alaska’s northern coast. The news comes about fives years after the company abandoned costly efforts to find oil in the Burger J prospect area further to the west and in much deeper water in 2015.

Shell submitted plans for seismic activity and exploratory drilling in its West Harrison Bay license in the Beaufort Sea just offshore from the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. The prospect area’s proximity to shore, shallower waters, and less severe ice conditions should make exploration less technically challenging than the Burger J license in the Chukchi Sea.

The company seeks approval to partner with other companies to explore the 86,400 acres in its 18 leases.

According to the document Shell had made progress in better understanding the resource area and identifying project partners prior to the negative impact of Covid19 on the market environment and the collapse in oil prices.

It also said that “logistical restrictions to operations and surveying” amidst the global pandemic makes it currently infeasible to attract prospective investors for a “high risk project.”

In its 5-year plan the company suggests conducting seismic studies to update geological data and finalize well and reservoir design in 2021-22 and begin and subsequently expand exploratory drilling in 2023-24. The prospect area sits atop the popular and shallow Nanushuk formation, one of the most promising on the western part of the North Slope.