Only the seventh well to be drilled offshore Greenland, Cairn Energy has started drilling the Alpha-1 exploration well in 300 meters of arctic waters. Located on the Sigguk Block, the Alpha prospect is situated about 175 kilometers offshore the Disko Island on the west of Greenland. Targeting a total depth of 4,200 meters, the Alpha-1 well is expected to take 55 days to complete.
Cairn has contracted both the Stena Forth drillship and the Stena Don semisubmersible drilling rig to conduct a summer drilling campaign at its Sigguk Block. The other well Cairn is drilling offshore Greenland this summer is the T8 exploration well in 500 meters of water. Targeting a total depth of 3,250 meters, the T8 is expected to take 38 days to complete. Should the wells discover hydrocarbons, Greenland may prove a whole new region for oil and gas exploration and production. Greenland and the Arctic are believed to be one of the last remaining petroleum provinces in the world with vast undiscovered hydrocarbons. The USGS reported in 2008 that an estimated 90 billion barrels of oil, 1.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 44 billion barrels of condensate are buried in the Arctic, with 84% of it offshore.
Author: Phaedra Friend Troy
