Talisman has struck oil in the National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska with three wells through several formations of sandstone, it was announced Wednesday.

Promising log analysis, “black oil on the shakers” and “staining and free oil in the drilling mud” nevertheless resulted in one well being plugged and two suspended, as the operator “did not have the time to test the wells”, a statement said.

One oil-bearing well was plugged for want of export pipeline, although new seismic will help study the well. The other two wells encountered over 225 feet of net hydrocarbons and plans are to evaluate them next season.

The formations are estimated to hold 300 to 400 million barrels for Talisman.

Analysis, however, was cut short due to a slow freeze-up of the tundra and its early thaw — said to be a sign of things to come for globally warmed Arctic land-drilling. Land rigs sink when the tundra goes soft in spring.

ws@oilgas24.com