Norwegian oil giant Statoil is opening an office in Anchorage next week. The company is moving ahead with its offshore work and will now have people on the ground here to spearhead that effort.
Ken Boyd, a former state Division of Oil and Gas director and Statoil's primary consultant in Alaska, says half a dozen people will be working out of the new digs in the JL Tower, on Centerpoint Drive near 40th and C Street.
"It's a bit barebones," he says. "But this is the opening salvo; we won't drill for a couple of years."
Statoil is a player in the Chukchi Sea, where it carried out some seismic work last summer. This summer, the company is doing some "site clearance" work -- basically checking the seafloor to make sure it is stable enough for a drilling rig -- on leases it holds in the area.
The office will be open for business Wednesday, Boyd says.
Contact Patti Epler at patti(at)alaskadispatch.com.