ConocoPhillips Alaska brought Coyote 3SX into production ahead of schedule, with an estimated maximum capacity of 12,000 barrels per day.
ConocoPhillips Alaska began the oil production at Coyote 3SX the project, located in the Kuparuk River Unit (KRU) on the northern slope of Alaska, achieved its first production on August 7 and began operations ahead of schedule and under budget.
The company allocated approximately $800 million to the development, whose funding was approved in October 2025. Construction work began in early 2026 and reached its peak activity level in April, when some 365 people were working on the project.
Coyote 3SX is targeting a maximum production of 12,000 bpd
ConocoPhillips estimates tha tCoyote 3SX will reach a peak gross production of about 12,000 barrels of oil per day the development leverages existing facilities at the Kuparuk River Unit to incorporate these new volumes into the company’s operations in Alaska.
This scheme allows for the integration of additional production using some of the existing infrastructure at Kuparuk. However, the anticipated increase in crude oil flow also necessitated expanding the transportation infrastructure associated with the project.
Coyote 3SX also required more than 20 miles of new pipeline to accommodate the additional production, part of this work allows for the redirection of volumes from CPF3 to CPF2 as production increases.
ConocoPhillips strengthens its oil assets in Alaska
For ConocoPhillips, the project is part of a strategy aimed at maintaining and expanding production at its traditional assets in the region. The company is investing around $1 billion a year in this type of operation in Alaska.
Coyote 3SX demonstrates our commitment to maximizing the value of our traditional assets, while continuing to deliver safe and reliable domestic production.
Erec Isaacson, president of ConocoPhillips Alaska.
In addition, Isaacson indicated that the additional pipeline infrastructure will allow for managing the increased volumes from Coyote during 2026 and subsequent years.
Coyote is located in the northwest sector of Kuparuk and complements the expansion of the ConocoPhillips oil production in this area of the North Slope. The drilling program associated with Coyote 3SX includes 19 wells.
New production will feed the TAPS system
The increase in production also has implications for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), the main infrastructure used to transport the oil produced on the northern slope.
ConocoPhillips expects the additional barrels from Coyote to contribute to the volume circulating through this system as production from the project increases.
TAPS travels about 800 miles between Prudhoe Bay and Valdez, from there, the oil arrives at the Valdez marine terminal to later be loaded onto ships and sent to market.
In this way, the commissioning of Coyote 3SX adds a new source of crude oil to Alaska’s existing oil infrastructure and expands ConocoPhillips’ production in the Kuparuk River Unit.
Source: WorldOil
Photo: Shutterstock
