Shell Oil Co. is downsizing its plan for off-shore drilling in the Arctic this year amid delays completing a spill containment barge required by the federal government, a spokesman said Tuesday.
Shell now hopes to complete two wells in 2012 instead of five. One would be in the Beaufort Sea off the northern Alaska coastline, and the other in the Chukchi Sea off the northwest coast between Alaska and Russia.
The company's ambitious two-year goal of drilling 10 wells remains in place, company spokesman Curtis Smith said.
Valuable data derived from drilling the two wells still in the works will aid Shell with its drilling in 2013, he said.
See the entire article at the link below.
http://www.rr.com/home/home/article/rr/7176608/72839545/Shell_Oil_scales_back_Arctic_drilling_plan
Shell also is working closely with the Environmental Protection Agency on an air permit also needed to drill this year. A problem arose when it was discovered that the generator engines on Shell's drill ship tested slightly above allowable levels for ammonia and nitrous oxide.
Smith said the company was confident it could reach an agreement with the EPA. <<Will the EPA cave in to pressure or stand firm? What do you think?
Comments
Shell’s primary spill response barge for the Arctic is being held in dock in Seattle because it lacks certification by the US Coast Guard.
Special Thanks to the Audubon Society.
Care to post a link to where you got that information?
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2012/08/07/shell-oil-spill-barge-close-to-beginning-arctic-journey/
Both Coast Guard and Shell representatives have described the punch list as common for vessels under construction.