[El Laton Caliente]

That was the best quick map I could find. By survey drilling there is a MUCH larger field in ANWR than Prudoe. The Naval Oil Researve covers most of the area surrounding and south of Barrow and it has several Prudoe size fields. Preliminary exploration in the Artic Ocean has found fields out more that 50 miles almost everywhere they looked.

None of it is in production.

[thackney]

The Naval Oil Researve covers most of the area surrounding and south of Barrow and it has several Prudoe size fields.

The Naval Oil Reserve became the National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska. I was on the early design team for what was to be the first production site drill site, CD5 for ConocoPhillips, an expansion of the Alpine Central Production facility back in 2005.

Because of that experience, I've followed it rather closely, even getting to review some logs from a few exploratory drilling. I've never seen any claim of a Prudhoe size field. Sorry but I have to doubt that claim.

What has been found has been extremely light and high in value, but nothing massive in size. The CD5 drill site has been held up with various permitting issues, mostly around the bridge over the Nigliq Channel of the Colville River Delta. We had a FR thread about that last week:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2818595/posts

[thackney]

Preliminary exploration in the Artic Ocean has found fields out more that 50 miles almost everywhere they looked.

None of it is in production.

Some of it is in production. North Star is a man-island producing offshore.

The Milni Point field extending offshore is in production from extend horizontal reach drilling.

The Oooguruk field extends out offshore but is produced from onshore drill pad with the horizontal drilling exetending out miles offshore.

BP has delayed the liberty field but has built the rig and has begun development of this similar design by planning to set the world records in extended horzontal drilling reach around 8 miles.

There certainly is great potential for far more. Shell has had some delays has received some approval for their drilling Offshore North Slope with their large arctic rig, the Frontier Discoverer.

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/200025-interior-approves-shells-arctic-drilling-plan