BlueCrest Energy is in the preliminary design phase of the project in the Cosmopolitan Unit near Anchor Point and aiming for maximum community input.
Health, Safety, and Environmental Manager Larry Burgess said the company hails from Texas, however…
Burgess: “I have been in Alaska in the oil patch since 1988 as well as the rest of the team who is operating this project out of Anchorage, we have all been here a long time. The owners of BlueCrest had the foresight to hire Alaskans to operate the project.”
Burgess said operations and drilling activities are scheduled to start as soon as August of this year and expect first oil in April of 2016.
Burgess: “Local hire preference as the project develops, absolutely, it benefits not only us but the people who work down here. People who work at our location who can go home at night mean that we don’t have to put them in a bed. We have plans for a 50 man camp on site, during construction phase we could have up to 300 people out there.”
Although BlueCrest had originally planned to drill water wells in the area for their onshore facilities, Burgess said that changed due to valid community concerns about the impact on their aquifer.
Burgess: “After some discussion we decided to not drill any water wells, we will haul water from Anchor Point and or Homer and not have any impact on that aquifer, and this will in addition will probably put somebody to work and add to the utility income for those utilities.”
BlueCrest has estimated that this formation will produce oil for at least 30 years and Burgess said they want strong community ties during that time.
