With Repsol's winter exploration campaign over, the Madrid-based oil company announced it has made three good hydrocarbon discoveries in the North Slope region.

They reported that in two of the wells, Qugruk 1 (Q1)and Qugruk 6 (Q6), showed two encouraging amounts of hydrocarbon shows, while at Qugruk 3 (Q3), hydrocarbons were identified at multiple levels.

Repsol only operated its exploration drills during the winter months, as it is the only time that the frozen is frozen firmly enough to support the operations. During that time, Q1, Q3, and Q6 were drilled to a depth of 8,179, 10,544, and 8,651 feet respectively.

Repsol states that they are encouraged by the the levels discovered and look forward to the development of the wells. In their press release the oil company said that the North Slope is an especially promising and oil rich area for the company, and say the recent reforms this Spring to Alaska’s tax structure will be a critical factor in the development of the projects.

The oil company experienced another spill earlier this month when a hose ruptured spilling over 6,500 gallons of oil mixture as well as other fluids at the Qugruk 6 site along the Colville River delta. Repsol suffered another spill last year at its Qugruk 2 drilling site, when over 100,000 gallons of drilling mud erupted from that well.

Alaska’s Governor Parnell welcomed the news out of Repsol today. “This is welcome news for Alaskans’ future,” Governor Parnell said. “We have always maintained that our below-ground resources are world class, and these discoveries underscore that. We now have a competitive tax structure that ensures Alaskans are able to reap the benefits of their oil. Today’s announcement is another promising step toward creating an Alaska oil comeback.”