Pioneer has said that it is the first independent to initiate new field operations on the North Slope and has brought Oooguruk on line in less than five years.
Pioneer has a 70% working interest and is the owner and operator of the development, while its partner Eni has a 30% working interest. The Oooguruk development was sanctioned in early 2006 after drilling three exploration wells during the winter of 2003.
Pioneer anticipates peak gross production in 2010 of 15,000-20,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) from approximately 40 development wells. These wells are expected to be drilled over the next three years. The gross oil resource potential from these base development wells is as much as 90 million barrels, before expansion opportunities. Field life is expected to be 25 to 30 years.
In commissioning the system and evaluating initial production data, Pioneer expects to initially produce 2,000-3,000 gross bopd from Oooguruk. Production is expected to be shut-in for approximately 45 days for scheduled maintenance on the onshore third-party processing facility. Thereafter, production will be reinitiated and is expected to rise as additional wells are brought on line.
