ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Shell Oil Company plans to deliver a proposal to federal regulators Wednesday, outlining its goals for Alaska over the next few years.
The plans seek permission to drill up to 10 exploratory wells -- a significant expansion compared to what they wanted to do in the past.
The wells would not all be drilled at once. Shell wants to start two in the Beaufort Sea, and two or three in the nearby Chukchi Sea next summer.
Over the course of a couple years it could add up to 10 wells.
"People are beginning to talk about, 'use it or lose it,'" said Shell Alaska Vice President Pete Slaiby regarding the company's multi-billion dollar leases. "We're expected to evaluate those leases, which is exactly what we're doing."
Shell was denied a critical air permit which would have allowed it to drill this summer. In part, because federal regulators have been extra-cautious following last summer's Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
