ConocoPhillips’ Alaska division won an important approval this week from the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM), clearing the path for construction of the long-planned Willow project.

Willow

Located within the Bear Tooth Unit of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, the Willow project could produce up to 160,000 b/d, with a processing capacity of 200,000 b/d over its anticipated 30-year life, BLM said. The project could produce up to 590 million bbl in total. It would also help offset declines in production from existing North Slope oil fields, the agency said.

The BLM’s record of decision (ROD), signed by Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, allows for construction of three drill sites and associated processing and support facilities, including gravel roads...