Italian oil company Eni announces Alaskan project

January 25, 2008

An Italian energy company has started developing at the Nikaitchuq oil field off Alaska's North Slope.

The field, once developed, will have 70 wells -- half production and half injection, two-thirds of which will be drilled from an artificially constructed island 2.8 miles from the coast.

ROME -- Italian energy company Eni has begun the development of its first Alaska project.

Eni is the operator in Alaska at the Nikaitchuq oil field, offshore Alaska's North Slope in an average water depth of 10 feet.

The field was purchased from Anadarko in 2007 and the reserves are estimated to be close to 180 million barrels of oil, with the production due to start at the end of 2009, Energy Current reported.

The field, once developed, will have 70 wells -- half production and half injection, two-thirds of which will be drilled from an artificially constructed island 2.8 miles from the coast.

Eni's new 40,000 barrels per day processing facility will handle production before it is sent to the Kuparuk network and Trans-Alaska pipeline.

With this project Eni will play a considerable role in Alaska as it holds 100 percent of the operating stakes in the project.