Pikka is an onshore oilfield located on the North Slope of Alaska, US.
Australian oil company Santos is the operator and holds a 51% stake in the project, with the remaining 49% interest held by Spanish oil major Repsol.
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The Pikka oilfield was initially owned by Oil Search (25.5%), Armstrong Oil and Gas (19.125%), GMT Exploration (6.375%) and Repsol (49%). Oil Search purchased stakes held by Armstrong Oil and Gas and GMT in June 2019. Santos became the operator following the acquisition of Oil Search in December 2021.
Santos and Repsol made a final investment decision for the $2.6bn Pikka phase one project in August 2022.
The Pikka phase one development achieved first oil in May 2026, and Santos subsequently moved into continuous production operations at the field in June 2026.
By August 2026, the first crude export from phase one was made when an inaugural 450,000-barrel cargo was loaded onto the Polar Resolution at the Valdez Marine Terminal for delivery to the US West Coast refining system.
Phase one is currently producing approximately 23,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) gross and is progressing towards plateau production of approximately 80,000bopd.
Location of the Pikka field
The Pikka field is situated in the North Slope Borough, Alaska, 84km west of Deadhorse and 10km away from Nuiqsut. It lies to the west of the Kuparuk River Unit oilfield, which is operated by ConocoPhillips.
Reservoir details of Alpine C and Nanushuk
The Pikka development project targets oil deposits in the Alpine C and Nanushuk reservoirs.
Phase one of the Pikka field is set to bring around 400 million barrels (mbbl) of gross proven and probable reserves into production, while a further 600mbbl of gross 2C (estimated) resource is expected to support a phased expansion beyond phase one.
Pikka field discovery and exploration details
Armstrong Oil and Gas and Repsol discovered the Pikka field by drilling the Qugruk 3 discovery well in 2013.
In addition, 12 conventional and seven side track wells were drilled in the Pikka and Horseshoe areas by 2017.
Oil Search appraised the Pikka field by drilling two appraisal wells, namely Pikka B and C, in 2019, which confirmed the reservoir productivity of the Pikka Unit in the Nanushuk formation.
Pikka phase one development details
Phase one development is based on 32 leases within the greater Pikka oilfield.
A total of 45 development wells are planned for the project that will be operated from a single well pad. For the phase one development, 28 wells have been drilled. The associated infrastructure includes a seawater treatment plant, a remote operations centre and the associated pipelines connecting into existing local infrastructure.
The low-carbon project also adopts electrified field operations and utilises the existing infrastructure, including the Kuparuk transportation pipeline and the Trans-Alaska pipeline system.
In September 2026, Santos confirmed the start-up of seawater injection at the Nanushuk Drillsite-B within the Pikka project, with current injection running at around 40,000bopd.
The seawater injection programme is intended to support reservoir pressure and underpin the ramp-up towards approximately 80,000bopd.
Details of floating seawater treatment plant
A floating seawater treatment plant with a capacity of 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) was developed as part of the Alaskan oil project. The US Army Corps of Engineers approved the construction of the seawater treatment plant in November 2020.
The design features a barge-mounted treatment plant measuring 145m (475ft) long, 56.2m wide and 8m high.
Contractors involved
VME Process was selected to provide an American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)-classified bespoke barge for the seawater treatment plant for the Pikka oilfield project in April 2021.
Kuna Engineering delivered structural engineering support for the design and construction of the Pikka Sea Water Treatment Plant.
PND Engineers completed the civil and structural design work covering 37 miles (59.5km) of gravel roads, gravel pads, drainage culverts, the seawater treatment plant dock and bridges.
Other companies involved in the project are Cruz Construction, North Star Equipment Services NSES and Price Gregory International, along with Northern Powerline Constructors, Lounsbury & Associates and ICE Services.
