Santos Hits Milestone at Pikka Oil Project with Seawater Injection

Santos has reached a major milestone in its Pikka oil project on Alaska's North Slope, bringing it closer to full production capacity. The company confirmed that seawater injection at the project began on August 18, with on-specification water export from the seawater treatment plant filling the 75-kilometre pipeline linking the Beaufort Sea to the Nanushuk Drillsite-B.

The commencement of seawater injection marked an important step in maintaining pressure within the reservoir, allowing Santos to safely expand production. Injection into the underground reservoir began on August 26, with testing reaching approximately 40,000 barrels per day.

With this milestone achieved, Santos plans to progressively bring additional production wells online in the coming weeks, targeting plateau production rates of around 80,000 gross barrels of oil per day by the end of September 2026. According to CEO Kevin Gallagher, 'Seawater injection is a critical step in unlocking Pikka's production capacity.'