[Shell Oil’s Polar Pioneer Arctic Drilling Rig – West Seattle, Seattle, Washington by Chas Redmond from Seattle WA, USA (IMG_2552) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons]

Royal Dutch Shell officially began drilling in the Arctic’s Chukchi Sea July 30 and has until Sept. 30 to complete the tops of two wells, according to Fuel Fix. The wells are located about 70 miles northwest of Alaska’s coastline.

The company’s first task in its Arctic drilling exploration is to excavate a mud-line cellar that will house a blowout preventer in the event of a passing iceberg. To dig the 40-foot deep mud-line cellar, Shell’s Transocean Polar Pioneer rig is using a 20-foot-wide drill bit.

Shell CEO Ben van Beurden stated that the wells will start producing in 2030 if oil is found. A couple decades ago, Shell drilled in the Arctic but left the projects unfinished because of low commodity prices. In 2012, Shell did not complete Arctic drilling.

Via: Fuel Fix> Shell forges ahead in Arctic with exploratory drilling

More about Arctic drilling:

• Could Arctic drilling benefit Ohio? June 3, 2015
• Hilcorp sizes up Arctic drilling opportunity Jan. 12, 2015