Opportunity
Alaska Online Public Notices #LONS 26-002
Public comment on Narwhal Exploration’s proposed West Harrison Bay exploratory drilling campaign
Posted
September 30, 2026
Respond By
October 30, 2026
Identifier
LONS 26-002
The State of Alaska is inviting public comment on Narwhal Exploration, LLC’s proposed West Harrison Bay exploratory drilling campaign; this is not a solicitation for commercial goods or services. - Government buyer: State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Oil & Gas; the project is in the North Slope Borough near Nuiqsut. - Applicant and named organizations: Narwhal Exploration, LLC is the applicant. Boreal Environmental Services is identified as a permitting-services third party, not as a supplier for this notice. No OEMs are identified. - Proposed work: Use one drilling rig to drill up to three exploratory wells in nearshore West Harrison Bay, Beaufort Sea, targeting the Nanushuk and Torok formations at approximately 4,000–7,500 feet below sea level. - Wells would be drilled from temporary, bottom-founded ice pads, supported by temporary camps, equipment-storage areas, ice roads and trails, and an ice airstrip. Access would include a coastal sea-ice trail from Oliktok Point; some support infrastructure would be in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. - Notable requirements and requests: The plan includes polar bear den surveys and avoidance, consultation with subsistence users, fuel containment, and removal of temporary infrastructure and cleanup. The applicant requests waivers related to fuel storage near waterbodies and vehicle refueling within the annual floodplain. - Commercial scope: No products, part numbers, or commercial quantities are being procured. The listed services below describe proposed project activities, not awarded or solicited services.
Description
Narwhal Exploration, LLC requests authorization to drill three exploration wells in the nearshore waters of West Harrison Bay in the Beaufort Sea to support development of the Narwhal Unit. The wells would be drilled from bottom-founded temporary ice pads, with camps and equipment storage staged partly onshore within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. Project access would use a coastal sea ice trail from Oliktok Point and an ice airstrip within the NPRA. The notice invites written comments by October 30, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time.