As Trump signs GOP tax bill into law, ANWR and nearby oil discoveries on Alaska state lands come into focus
Anchorage, Alaska (PRWEB) December 23, 2017 -- When President Donald Trump signed the $1.5 trillion tax overhaul into law Dec. 22, a provision calling for oil and gas lease sales in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge raised the profile of ANWR as well as adjacent oil discoveries that may extend from Alaska state lands into the refuge.
Independent Alaska oil and gas lease investors Daniel K. Donkel and Samuel H. Cade – owners of Donkel Oil and Gas LLC – hold one such block of Alaska state oil leases which surround the 1990 ARCO Stinson #1 well oil discovery along the northern margin of the ANWR 1002 Area.
The timing of the tax bill signing coincides with the release of a Donkel and Cade commissioned report on six arctic exploration wells that shed some light on what oil and gas explorers may expect to find below the surface of ANWR.
The “Six Sisters” well trend was reported by Geologist Dr. Robert B. Blodgett in a comparative core sample study of the Stinson #1 well, versus five other wells to the west situated along the Beaufort Sea coastline leading to ANWR.
“The Six Sisters well trend is the gateway into a better understanding of the petroleum resources of northwest ANWR,” Blodgett said. “The Six Sisters wells indicate the presence of two play horizons, consisting of a basal Tertiary play; and a lower Cambrian play.”
In the Tertiary play alone of the Stinson well, a 2010 third party engineering report suggested oil reserves of between 80 and 420 million barrels, with a base case reserve of 150 million barrels. The quartzite play found in Stinson's Lower Cambrian basement complex had a predicated flow rate of 700-800 barrels of oil per day under clear hole conditions.
Nearby, in the Tertiary age play of the Alaska State A-1 well oil discovery (immediately west of Stinson) a flow rate of 2,507 bopd was reported.
These potential reserves, according to consulting geologist David Gross, could be part of the 10.3 billion barrels that the United States Geologic Survey estimates lie below and around ANWR in the 1002 Area.
Based on numerous scientific studies, the oil pools at Stinson appear to extend into ANWR. Similar shared pools appear to be present on the west boundary of ANWR at the Sourdough discovery in the Exxon Pt. Thomson unit, and at the Yukon Gold discovery where Regenerate Alaska Inc. recently acquired state of Alaska leases. Geologists believe production from these Alaska lands on the flanks of ANWR would drain oil and gas from beneath ANWR.
Consequently Stinson, if it was drilled and produced prior to Sourdough and Yukon Gold, would mark the first oil and gas production from ANWR.
While oil drilling in ANWR is years away, the Stinson prospect is drill ready, according to Donkel. Donkel and Cade are seeking a qualified drilling operator to further delineate the Stinson discovery as early as the 2018/2019 winter drilling season.
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Donkel and Cade are actively marketing approximately 60,000 acres of Alaska North Slope and Beaufort Sea leases, including the Stinson prospect. More information on Donkel and Cade's Alaska holdings can be found at http://www.donkeloilalaska.com or inquire to donkeloil(at)gmail(dot)com.
Dan Donkel, Donkel Oil and Gas, http://www.donkeloilalaska.com, +1 (407) 375-8500, [email protected]
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