Hilcorp cleared to drill three new Beluga River wells

Alaska approves three new wells for Hilcorp's Beluga River pad

Alaska's Division of Oil and Gas cleared Hilcorp Alaska to drill three new wells on K Pad in the Beluga River unit.

By OGGN Staff·21 Aug 2026, 08:00·1 min read

Drilling rig silhouettes at sunset, Niger Delta

Example of an onshore drilling rig in the Niger Delta, not the site in this story. Photo: Julius A OBARO, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Hilcorp Alaska can drill three new wells on K Pad in the Beluga River unit after Alaska's Division of Oil and Gas approved an amended unit plan of operations on 18 August. The company applied for the change on 4 August, saying the new wells would raise gas output from the unit.

The wells target state subsurface lease ADL 21128, within the unit on Cook Inlet's west side, about two miles west of where the Beluga River meets the inlet. The work adds to Hilcorp's upstream activity in Cook Inlet.

Equipment set to go on the pad for drilling and well testing includes:

A drill rig and pipe
A completion rig
Mud tanks and pumps
Boilers, generators and cement silos
A line heater and a liquids/gas separator
A flare and a 400-barrel water tank

Why it matters

Three additional producing wells at Beluga River would add gas supply from an existing unit rather than a new discovery, a lower-risk way for Hilcorp to grow output. The approval clears a regulatory step; drilling and well testing still have to happen before any gas reaches the market.

What's next. Watch for Hilcorp to move the staged rig and equipment onto K Pad and start drilling now that the amendment is approved.

Sources

PrimaryDrilling Contractor · drillingcontractor.org

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