Great achievement for the Nikaitchuq field (Alaska): the field, completely operated by Eni, has in fact reached the remarkable quota of 25.000 barrels of oil per day. The total reserves of the field, located offshore in the North Slope of Alaska in a water depth of 3 meters, holds reserves estimated at approximately 200 million barrels of oil.
The development of Nikaitchuq includes the construction of wells and plants both on land and on an artificial island built by Eni in the Beaufort Sea. The extreme climate and environmental constraints of the area required the application of Eni's proprietary technologies and expertise to drill multilateral horizontal wells and to build one of the most advanced production plants in the North Slope, with maximum environmental compatibility and high operational efficiency.
The Nikaitchuq horizontal multilaterals wells are the most complex wells drilled by the industry in Alaska to date, with lateral deviation reaching 7 kilometers in some cases. The field treatment plant is capable of handling 40.000 barrels a day of crude oil and up to 120.000 barrels a day of water. The production of Nikaitchuq is transported through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline to be sold in the market without the need for further processing. Eni is now working on achieving the new production target of 30.000 barrels per day within the next 12 months.
In the United States, Eni holds interests in 200 licenses in the Gulf of Mexico and in 530 licenses for non-conventional themes (shale gas and shale oil) in Texas. Eni also holds interests in 100 licenses in Alaska's North Slope, including Nikaitchuq and 30% of the Oooguruk oil field, which has been in production since 2008. Eni's total net daily production in the United States is approximately 100.000 barrels of oil equivalent (of which 75% is operated).
