ConocoPhillips’ plans for 4 new Arctic wells unaffected by toppled rig, company says
By Eric Stone
An accident involving a massive rig used in ConocoPhillips’ North Slope drilling program on Friday will not have a significant impact on the company’s exploration activity this winter, company executives told a state House committee on Wednesday.
Doyon Drilling Rig 26, a gargantuan piece of oil exploration infrastructure affectionately known as “the Beast,” tipped over and caught fire Friday afternoon while in transit on a gravel road near Nuiqsut on the western North Slope. No one was seriously hurt, though eight people were treated for minor injuries and released, the company said.
ConocoPhillips planned to use the rig to drill two of its four planned exploration wells this winter, but the company quickly came up with an alternative, ConocoPhillips Vice President for Commercial and Midstream Barry Romberg told the state House Resources Committee on Wednesday. ConocoPhillips identified the substitute rig as Doyon 142 in a court filing on Monday and mourned the “unfortunate loss” of Doyon 26.
“Our exploration work plan for this winter is going to be on track,” Romberg said. “I don’t expect at this point any material change to our long term production forecasts.”
Doyon Drilling, the Alaska Native regional corporation subsidiary that owns and operates the rig, continues to lead the emergency response, he said.
In an update Wednesday afternoon, Doyon Drilling said roughly 4,000 gallons of diesel and 600 gallons of hydraulic oil had spilled onto the snow-covered tundra. The company said it had established a perimeter to minimize pollution to nearby waterways, including a tributary of the Colville River, though the company said nearby pipelines and waterways had so far been unaffected.
The incident happened less than 50 feet from oil and gas infrastructure, the Department of Environmental Conservation said.
Romberg says that the spill appears to be contained and that the environmental impact was “minimal.”
Initial cleanup efforts were delayed by fears the toppled rig could collapse further. As of Wednesday afternoon, Department of Environmental Conservation official Kimberly Maher said severe weather was delaying further work and that responders would need to reassess the stability of the accident site when the weather improved.
Doyon plans to hire a third-party firm to investigate the cause of the incident, the company said. Doyon has launched a website to provide further updates on the emergency response.
A coalition of environmental and tribal groups led by Earthjustice sued the Trump administration last month challenging the approval of the drilling program. A federal judge on Tuesday denied the groups’ request to pause drilling while the suit continues.
The 10-million-pound rig set a long-distance drilling record in 2022 when it bored 6.7 miles horizontally underground to access a previously untouched reservoir, ConcoPhillips said at the time. It was said to be the largest mobile land rig in North America.
“This was a very sad day,” Romberg said. “The Doyon 26 rig was a very special rig for us.”
Related stories from around the North :
Canada: Federal gov’t, Saskatchewan swipe sale of N.W.T. rare earth metals from Chinese buyer, CBC News
Finland: Miners hunting for metals to battery cars threaten Finland’s Sámi reindeer herders’ homeland
Greenland: Greenland’s leader hails EU as trusted friend and urges investment in its minerals, The Associated Press
Sweden: Just how significant is the discovery of rare earth metals in Arctic Sweden?
United States: Washington moves to secure Arctic rare earths with potential stake in Greenland mine, Reuters
