Facility operated by Hilcorp Alaska, LLC

In coordination with the State of Alaska, BSEE Alaska OCS Region co-manages development and production activities at Northstar Island (Northstar) under the terms and conditions of the joint State/Federal Northstar Unit Agreement. Northstar is a five-acre, artificial gravel and concrete island located in the nearshore State of Alaska waters of the Beaufort Sea, twelve miles northwest of Prudhoe Bay and six miles from Alaska’s mainland coastline. Northstar’s facilities and leases are currently owned and operated by Hilcorp Alaska, LLC. The Federal percentage of Northstar production varies between 15 and nearly 18 percent, allocated across 3 participating areas.

Northstar Island’s first oil production began in October 2001. After the produced oil and gas are processed and measured on site, treated natural gas is re-injected to maintain reservoir pressure and enhance further oil recovery and is also used on-site for power generation. The combined blend of State and Federal sales-quality oil is transported onshore by a pipeline that is buried 7 to 11 feet below the seafloor to avoid ice scouring impacts and is then routed into the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) for transportation to the tanker shipping hub in Valdez, AK. To oversee compliance with federal regulations, federally certified inspectors based in the BSEE Alaska OCS Regional Office in Anchorage, AK regularly witness Northstar operations through both scheduled and unannounced inspections to ensure the safe and responsible development of our nation’s domestic offshore energy resources.