Pressure support flows at Pikka
Santos said seawater injection has begun at the Nanushuk Drillsite-B (NDB) of its Pikka oil project on Alaska's North Slope, with the reservoir now taking water at a rate of around 40,000 barrels a day. On-specification water export from the seawater treatment plant started on 18 August, building inventory across the roughly 75-kilometre pipeline that carries seawater from the Beaufort Sea to the Pikka site. Injection into the reservoir began on 26 August, and Santos said its water injection milestone testing has since been completed.
Why the water matters
Seawater injection pushes water into a reservoir to maintain pressure. Santos said this pressure support is a key enabler of the production ramp-up it has planned at Pikka, which is targeting plateau production of about 80,000 barrels of oil a day, gross, by the end of the third quarter of 2026.
Where production stands now
Continuous production at Pikka started in June 2026. Production wells are currently delivering around 40,000 barrels of oil a day, gross, and Santos said additional wells are planned to come online safely and progressively over the coming weeks now that water injection has started.
Santos Managing Director and CEO Kevin Gallagher called seawater injection "a critical step in unlocking Pikka's production capacity," and said the company continues to target plateau rates at the end of the third quarter of 2026.
Ownership and partners
Santos operates Pikka and holds a 51 percent interest in the Pikka Unit; Repsol holds the remaining 49 percent. Santos said the project has been delivered in partnership with contractors, the State of Alaska, Alaska Native corporations and local communities.
