ConocoPhillips seeks approval to expand Oliktok staging pad on North Slope

ConocoPhillips Alaska is asking state regulators to approve a modest but operationally important expansion at the Oliktok Staging Pad in the Kuparuk River Unit, a project aimed at creating more room to store and move drill rigs, piping, equipment and other materials used in North Slope oil and gas work. The proposal would add 11,490 cubic yards of clean gravel across 1.1 acres at the southwest corner of the existing site, formerly known as the 12-acre pad.

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources posted public notice for the KRU Oliktok Road Staging Area Gravel Expansion Unit Plan of Operations Amendment Application on June 11, opening a 30-day comment period that runs through July 12. ConocoPhillips said the work is scheduled to begin August 1. The company also said the gravel would come from within the unit, including Mine Site C and or E, a detail that points to a relatively contained construction project rather than a new large-scale buildout.

On the North Slope, even a small increase in lay-down space can matter. The Oliktok pad sits in one of the region’s busiest industrial corridors, where staging, hauling and assembly can affect how quickly crews move equipment to active projects. More room at the pad can ease pressure on logistics chains that serve Kuparuk and surrounding fields, with implications for contractors, trucking, maintenance work and other service businesses that depend on steady industrial activity.

The request also fits a pattern of repeated upgrades around the Kuparuk system. State officials approved ConocoPhillips Alaska’s request in 2023 to expand the 12-acre pad by about 18,500 cubic yards of clean gravel. That same year, the company sought road improvements between the 12-acre pad and Drill Site 2L to widen curves for the safe transport of modules tied to the Willow development project.

ConocoPhillips Alaska describes itself as the state’s largest oil producer, with major hubs in Prudhoe Bay, Kuparuk and the Western North Slope. The company says the Kuparuk River Unit was originally expected to recover 1.6 billion barrels of oil, a figure that helps explain why support infrastructure around the field continues to draw attention decades after its first major development.

The company’s newer activity also shows how Kuparuk remains in motion. ConocoPhillips says the Nuna project at Drillsite 3T was funded in 2023, construction began that year, drilling started in late 2024 and first oil came in December 2024. With an expected peak rate of 20,000 barrels per day, Nuna adds to the case that Kuparuk’s logistics network still carries real weight for current production and future development.