Survey and Exploration in the National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska has gone on for many years. Many leases with proved flow test on wells in multiple eastern section of NPRA.
ConcocoPhillips along with their partner Anadarko have been trying for years to get a permit to produce. Back in 2005 I was on a preliminary engineering team for them to design the first production drillpad in the NPRA. The major permit excuse has been the bridge of the Nigliq Channel of the Colville River Delta. The bridge will not cross the main river but rather a smaller but significant channel.
This “first” production facility has not been built yet, but this bridge is the key to getting it done. I spoke with a ConocoPhillips Alaska engineer last week. They are hopeful but still consider it a not worth planning at the detail level until the permit is actually issued. But it sounds like the conditions of allowance for other future companies is acceptable (not free, but shared services are common on the North Slope).
I put some useful links and pictures on this previous thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2818595/posts
The lease sales and previous lease sales in the NPRA can be found with maps at:
http://www.blm.gov/ak/st/en/prog/energy/oil_gas/npra/npr-a_lease_sales-maps.html
Depending how much you want to know, I’ve been posting about this for years on FR:
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/npra/index