Rollercoaster: ANS production back on par

By end of January Alaska North Slope crude oil production almost level with beginning of month, following spill driven shutdowns

Kristen Nelson

Petroleum News

Alaska North Slope production was at 647,255 barrels per day on Jan. 1; by the end of the month it had almost reached that level again, peaking at 646,075 bpd Jan. 30, following shutdowns after a leak was found at Pump Station 1 on Jan. 8, and again mid-month for repairs.

January production numbers from the Alaska Department of Revenue’s Tax Division show normal production at the beginning of the month, followed by a steep decline — Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. shut the trans-Alaska oil pipeline down completely for four days beginning the morning of Jan. 8 — and then a shallower dip Jan. 15 when the line was shut down for almost two days for the installation of bypass piping.

Because of the extensive downtime during the month, January average ANS production was 471,666 bpd, down 26.5 percent from a December average of 641,518 bpd.

BP Exploration (Alaska)’s Milne Point field had the largest percentage drop month-over-month, down 33 percent, with a January average of 17,999 bpd compared to 26,874 bpd in December.

The largest per-barrel drop was at the BP-operated Prudhoe Bay field, which averaged 233,259 bpd in January, down 101,670 bpd and 30.4 percent from a December average of 334,929 bpd.

Prudhoe Bay includes satellite production from Aurora, Borealis, Midnight Sun, Orion and Polaris.

All production averages down

The ConocoPhillips’ operated Alpine field averaged 70,358 bpd in January, down 16,288 bpd and 18.8 percent from a December average of 86,646 bpd. Alpine production includes the Fiord, Nanuq and Qannik satellites.

The BP-operated Lisburne field averaged 23,824 bpd in January, down 8,221 bpd and 25.7 percent from a December average of 32,045 bpd. Lisburne production includes Point McIntyre and Niakuk.

The BP-operated Northstar field averaged 13,746 bpd in January, down 5,124 bpd and 27.2 percent from a December average of 18,870 bpd.

The BP-operated Endicott field averaged 10,481 bpd in January, down 2,350 bpd and 18.3 percent from a December average of 12,831 bpd.

Cook Inlet crude oil production averaged 9,673 bpd in January, down 8.3 percent from a December average of 10,547 bpd.

The temperature at Pump Station 1 on the North Slope averaged minus 9.7 degrees Fahrenheit in January, compared to minus 11.8 F in December.

ANS crude oil production peaked in 1988 at 2.1 million bpd; Cook Inlet crude oil production peaked in 1970 at more than 227,000 bpd.

AOGCC extended reinjection order

The order, issued Jan. 11, was extended an additional two weeks on Jan. 21 because the pipeline was unavailable at full capacity.

In extending the emergency order, the commission said repairs to the pipeline were taking “longer than anticipated,” and while Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. had completed installation of a piping bypass the line was “still not operating at normal capacity. In turn, BP cannot operate at normal production,” the commission said.

The order allowing BP to pump crude oil into development wells was issued because without the ability to ship oil down the pipeline at normal volumes, “some production must be maintained to protect the safety of operating personnel in the fields and Deadhorse by providing fuel gas” and to prevent damage to production equipment and pipelines from freezing.

The initial order expired after 14 days and the commission said BP requested the extension because the trans-Alaska oil pipeline was still not operating at normal capacity.

—Kristen Nelson