Santos has started injecting seawater into the reservoir at its Pikka oil project on Alaska's North Slope, with injection running around 40,000 barrels a day. The company said the milestone keeps it on pace for plateau production of about 80,000 barrels a day (gross) by the end of the third quarter of 2026.
Water injection timeline
On-specification water export from the seawater treatment plant began August 18, building inventory across the roughly 75-kilometer pipeline that carries seawater from the Beaufort Sea to the Pikka site. Injection into the reservoir itself started August 26, and Santos said milestone testing on the water injection system has since been completed.
What seawater injection does
Injecting seawater into an oil reservoir adds pressure that helps push oil toward the wellbore as production continues. Santos calls it a required step for reaching plateau production at Pikka, and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Gallagher said seawater injection marked "a critical step in unlocking Pikka's production capacity."
Production so far
Continuous production at Pikka began in June 2026. Production wells are currently delivering around 40,000 barrels a day (gross), and Santos plans to bring additional wells online progressively over the coming weeks now that water injection is running.
- Water export began: August 18
- Reservoir injection began: August 26
- Current water injection rate: about 40,000 bbls/d
- Current production: about 40,000 bbl/d (gross)
- Plateau target: about 80,000 bbl/d (gross), end of Q3 2026
Ownership
Santos operates Pikka and holds 51 percent of the Pikka Unit. Repsol holds the remaining 49 percent. The project was built with contractors, the State of Alaska, Alaska Native corporations and local communities.
