Andrew Topf

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• Trump seeks to revive Alaska oil and gas drilling by reversing Biden-era restrictions on 10.6 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve.
• Critics and supporters remain divided, with environmentalists praising protections for wildlife and Indigenous communities.
• Alaska’s North Slope holds major untapped reserves, including the Prudhoe Bay field and the Willow project.

The National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska could see more oil and gas exploration if the Trump administration is successful in reversing Biden-era limits on drilling for hydrocarbons in an area that is also the country’s largest tract of undisturbed land.

Reuters said the move is consistent with Trump’s goal to slash regulations on oil and gas development and increase domestic fuels production as part of his energy agenda.

Last year the administration of Joe Biden prohibited oil and gas leasing on 10.6 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, while limiting development on more than 2 million additional acres.

The NPR-A is a 23-million-acre area on Alaska’s North Slope that was set aside in 1923 as an emergency oil supply for the US navy. The land, Reuters said, was opened to commercial development in the 1970s and is now managed by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management.

Companies active in the reserve include ConocoPhillips, Santos Ltd., Repsol SA, and Armstrong Oil & Gas Inc. ConocoPhillips is developing its 600-million-barrel Willow project, with first production expected in 2029.

While groups lauded the Biden rule for protecting animal habitats and the way of life of Indigenous communities, critics said it would cost jobs and make the US reliant on foreign sources for energy.

Related: Sustainable Aviation Fuel Faces Uphill Battle To Become Mainstream

“Congress was clear: the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska was set aside to support America’s energy security through responsible development,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement. “The 2024 rule ignored that mandate, prioritizing obstruction over production and undermining our ability to harness domestic resources at a time when American energy independence has never been more critical.”

According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the North Slope accounts for just over 3% of US oil production.

A 2020 assessment of Alaska’s Central North Slope by the US Geological Survey found there to be an estimated $3.6 billion barrels of oil and 8.9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. This assessment is for undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources in conventional accumulations.

As of 2020, 18 billion barrels of oil had been transported through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, most of which was produced from the Central North Slope, states the USGS.

Most of the lands are owned by the State of Alaska and Alaskan native corporations.

The assessed area includes the Prudhoe Bay field, which lies between the National Petroleum Reserve to the west, the Brooks Range to the south, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the east. Within the giant field, the largest in North America and the 18^th biggest worldwide, just over half of the 25 billion barrels of oil in place can be recovered with current technology, states BP Exploration, the operator of the field and 26 percent owner. ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc. and ExxonMobil each owns 36 percent.

Trump officials, along with government and industry representatives from several Asian countries, including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines, visited Prudhoe Bay on Monday, June 2.

An Associated Press story via The Globe and Mail, said that President Trump wants to double the amount of oil moving through Alaska’s pipeline system, and build a new natural gas project that would provide gas to Alaska residents and ship liquefied natural gas (LNG) overseas.

For years, state leaders have dreamed of such a project but cost concerns, shifts in direction, competition and questions about economic feasibility have hindered progress. U.S. tariff talks with Asian countries have been seen as possible leverage for the Trump administration to secure investments in the proposed gas project.

By Andrew Topf for Oilprice.com

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