Royal Dutch Shell plc on Wednesday said it has completed its preliminary drilling program for this year in Alaska’s offshore.

“The mandatory close of the drilling window offshore Alaska brings to an end a season in which we once again demonstrated the ability to drill safely and responsibly in the Arctic,” said Shell spokesman Curtis Smith. “The work we accomplished in drilling the top portion of the Burger-A well in the Chukchi Sea and the Sivulliq well in the Beaufort Sea will go a long way in positioning Shell for a successful drilling program in 2013.

“This year, we had both rigs drilling in theater at the same time, moved closer to the objective, and learned a tremendous amount.”

In early October Shell began drilling the Sivulliq prospect in the shallow waters of the Beaufort Sea after receiving permission to begin preparatory work from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (see Daily GPI, Oct. 8). Drilling also resumed in October on the Burger-A prospect in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea, following some stops and starts after it began to drill in September (see Daily GPI, Sept. 18).

Under its federal permits, Shell was given permission to drill to only 1,400 feet into the Beaufort and Chukchi seabeds, which is a few thousand feet short of oil and gas deposits. Neither well is finished but the reserves should be tapped in 2013, according to the producer. It was the first time in more than 20 years that a producer had been given permission to drill in Alaska’s offshore.

“We are very pleased with the work we accomplished this year and look forward to picking up where we left off when the sea ice retreats in 2013,” Smith said.

Shell officials praised the White House effort to streamline offshore permitting in the Arctic. Shell Alaska Vice President Pete Slaiby said the process was more coordinated because of a working group authorized by the Obama administration, which is headed by Deputy Interior Secretary David Hayes.

Between 1982 and 2001 more than 30 wells were drilled in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas. Producers now waiting on approval to begin offshore drilling include ConocoPhillips and Statoil ASA. The U.S. Geological Survey has estimated that the area north of the Arctic Circle contains about 90 billion boe of technically recoverable oil and gas, with almost one-third within the U.S. Continental Shelf.

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