APA permit hints at winter drilling plan on eastern North Slope

APA Alaska LLC has asked state regulators for a five-year permit to build ice and move off road on state land between the Canning and Colville rivers, a filing that points toward a winter drilling campaign on the eastern North Slope. The permit notice carries project ID LAS 36091 and places the work in the Umiat Meridian.

The application was filed June 12, and the public comment period opened June 22. APA wants authorization for off-road travel, ice construction and related activities on state land, while the company says it plans a two-well drilling program in the 2026-2027 winter season, with one exploration well and one appraisal well.

For North Slope residents, the permit matters because ice roads are the seasonal infrastructure that makes winter drilling possible. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources says a land use permit is required for off-road motorized vehicle use on North Slope state lands unless the travel is for subsistence. DNR also says it typically issues five-year permits for off-road travel or ice road and ice pad construction, and it opens winter off-road travel only when there is enough snow cover and frost depth to protect the tundra.

That means the filing is more than paperwork. If DNR approves the request and weather conditions cooperate, rigs, support trucks and fuel deliveries can move into the area between the Canning and Colville rivers, bringing more industrial activity across the eastern slope. In Utqiaġvik, Wainwright and Atqasuk, residents and tribal governments tend to watch these access decisions closely because they shape winter travel routes, subsistence trips and the pace of development near sensitive lands.

APA's plans carry added weight after the company said it assumed operatorship of a joint venture with Lagniappe Alaska, LLC, Oil Search (Alaska), LLC and Santos Limited. APA also bought Savant Alaska LLC in a deal widely reported at about $70 million, gaining assets that include the Badami production facilities and the Nutaaq Pipeline. Those pieces matter because they give APA more of the infrastructure needed to turn a seasonal permit into a drilling program.

The broader backdrop is a March 2025 announcement by APA and its partners of a significant petroleum discovery in the Lagniappe area. On the eastern North Slope, a permit like this is often the first visible sign that winter drilling is moving from planning toward the tundra.