Phillips' New Cosmopolitan Project: Largest Drill Rig Ever in Cook Inlet

In October, 2001 Phillips Alaska, in partnership with Forest Oil, began drilling an extended reach (directional) oil well from an onshore pad adjacent to salmon rich Stariski Creek, on the southern Kenai Peninsula.  To reach the target oil reserves, which sit over three miles from shore beneath Cook Inlet, Phillips is utilizing the largest drill rig ever employed in Cook Inlet. 

Keeper met with Phillips officials during the project planning phase.  While Keeper was not keen on another onshore drill pad adjacent to a salmon stream, the alternative- to locate the rig offshore on prime halibut fishing grounds- was far worse.  Due to public pressure, Phillips agreed to properly treat production wastes (such as produced waters and drilling muds and cuttings), so the project would not produce any additional pollution discharges to Cook Inlet.

In Fall 2001, Keeper toured the facility during a spill training exercise, and since exploration activities wrap up later this year, Keeper will keep a close eye on options for transporting oil to market.  A new port and oil loading facility near Stariski Creek is one option, and a pipeline up the Sterling Highway is another.  In either case, this new infrastructure opens the door for additional development on the Southern Peninsula, particularly on the Outer Continental Shelf in Lower Cook Inlet, and Keeper will continue organizing citizens, submitting comments and filing appeals to ensure habitat and water quality are protected.

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Last modified 25 October 2005