Employees at ConocoPhillips' Alpine oil development on the North Slope were evacuated this week due to a natural gas leak, according to company executives.
ConocoPhillips disclosed in a statement that the leak was discovered early Friday at the drill site CD1, which is located 8 kilometers north of the settlement of Nuiqsut.
"Out of an abundance of caution," the firm said it relocated some of its non-essential staff Monday afternoon, including personnel at the CD1 pad and its Alpine central processing plant and camp.
A spokesman for ConocoPhillips declined to reveal how many employees were affected or where they were relocated, but said the firm was attempting to offer further information.
There have been no reports of damage or environmental impact to the tundra or wildlife, according to the company's statement.
"The air quality continues to be monitored, and there has been no discovery of natural gas outside of the CD1 pad," the company said.
Conoco stated the gas leak occurred beneath gravel and that the reason and scale of the leak are being investigated. At the CD1 pad, the company is using natural gas detection sensors and doing infrared assessments from the air.
Alpine remained active as of Tuesday, supplying the village of Nuiqsut with the gas that is used for heating by people and institutions.
As per special assistant Grace Salazar, the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is keeping an eye on the situation.
Residents in Nuiqsut, which is already highly impacted by oil production, were concerned when they learned of the gas leak. Residents are being encouraged by city officials to be prepared to evacuate if necessary.
Some locals began leaving the village on Monday because they are concerned about what might happen and "don't want to be here if things become worse," one of the locals said.
According to Ahtuangaruak, the city has begun air sampling to assess local air quality. Residents who are concerned about air quality should call the Nuiqsut Utilities Cooperative, which provides the hamlet with natural gas heat, to have air samples taken near their homes.
Since Friday, some homeowners have reported smelling gas and experiencing headaches. The smell, however, is not due to the leak, but rather to a quirk in the way Nuiqsut's gas is utilized, according to experts with the North Slope Borough, which has been monitoring the issue.
When natural gas is in the ground, it has no odor, but utility management generally inject a chemical called mercaptan to detect leaks.
