Santos said Wednesday it successfully completed the Quokka-1 appraisal well, prompting plans for the development of an oil project that could mirror the production capacity of its Pikka Phase 1 operation.
Santos makes Alaska oil discovery, begins development planning
Seeking Alpha, April 8, 2026
The company said Quokka-1 encountered a high-quality reservoir with 143 ft of net oil pay in the Nanushuk formation, and an initial test achieved a flow rate of 2,190 bbl/day of oil.
“Located strategically to the east of our Pikka phase 1 development, Quokka represents another high-return opportunity that strengthens our position on the North Slope and extends our development runway in Alaska for years to come,” Managing Director Kevin Gallagher said.
Santos controls a 51% operating interest in the unit, with Repsol controlling the remaining 49%.
The company will be advancing a $35.6-million work programme through Ambler Metals, which includes geotechnical and condemnation drilling at the Arctic prospect and reopening of the Bornite camp for multi-year exploration use.
Trilogy is geared up, funded for 2026 programme in Alaska
Marleny Arnoldi, Mining Weekly, April 7, 2026
TSX- and NYSE American-listed Trilogy Metals says the first quarter of the 2026 financial year ended February 28 was a period of accelerating execution across all fronts for the company.
Through its ‘Ambler Metals’ joint venture with Australia-, London- and Johannesburg-listed South32, Trilogy is building the organisational capabilities needed to advance the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects in Alaska through its next development phases.
This while the US federal government continues to “show strong support for domestic critical minerals production.”
For Trilogy president and CEO Tony Giardini it is particularly encouraging that the US Department of Interior has opened about 2.1-million acres to mineral entry through Public Land Order 7966, including federal lands along the Ambler Access Project corridor, which removes future uncertainty over land status.
Additionally, the US Interior Secretary indicated that the White House is actively considering participating in Ambler Road Project financing, potentially as an equity partner, which would reinforce the federal government’s commitment to critical mineral infrastructure in Alaska.
The Ambler Access Project is a proposed 211-mile-long private industrial-use-only road in Northwest Alaska connecting the Dalton highway to the Ambler Mining District. Trilogy and South32 received reinstated federal permits in October 2025 to develop a copper, zinc, lead and gold district.
With Trilogy’s field programme for the calendar year being fully funded, the Ambler Metals team being in place and permitting preparations advancing, Giardini says the company is well positioned for a productive year.
Qatar Begins Work to Resume LNG Production After Ceasefire
Stephen Stapczynski, Salma El Wardany, Bloomberg, April 8, 2026
Qatar is mobilizing engineers and workers with the aim of resuming production at the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas export plant following a ceasefire in the war in the Middle East, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
The improvement in security conditions is allowing limited activity, and the facility is undergoing necessary maintenance ahead of a planned restart, said the people, who asked not to be identified as they are not authorized to speak with the media. Some production could begin to resume over the coming days, though it’s not clear how quickly it could ramp up, and any return to significant output would require ships to be able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Ras Laffan has been offline since early March, triggering a global gas supply crunch. While damage to the plant from a missile attack last month took out 17% of Qatar’s annual export capacity for as long as five years, restarting other parts of the massive facility would be an important milestone. The entire plant has the capacity to produce 77 million tons of LNG a year.
QatarEnergy didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
