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Alpine output drops to half, Northstar remains offline
Kristen Nelson Petroleum News Editor-in-Chief
The number of North Slope fields with production problems has gone from one to two. Northstar lost a transformer in late November (see production update this issue); on Dec. 1 Alpine developed a problem with an oil separator and production from that field was cut in half.
ConocoPhillips Alaska spokeswoman Dawn Patience told Petroleum News Dec. 4 that the problem occurred Dec. 1.
“We had a mechanical problem with one of the oil separators and cut production back to 50,000 barrels per day,” she said. ConocoPhillips is the operator and majority owner at Alpine on the west side of the North Slope. Production dropped by half Dec. 1, from 106,861 barrels per day Nov. 30 to 55,798 bpd Dec. 1 and 49,198 bpd Dec. 2.
“We’re working to resolve the problem, but right now we don’t know how long it will take to return the unit to full operation.” Patience said. ConocoPhillips has notified its West Coast Alaska North Slope crude oil customers, and told them the company will do its best “to minimize any delay or disruption to shipments and have not declared a force majeure.” Keeping lines warm at Northstar At Northstar, production is still offline, BP Exploration (Alaska) spokesman Daren Beaudo told Petroleum News Dec. 4. BP is keeping about 5,000 bpd running to keep the lines warm, he said. The transformer that went out at Northstar drove the oil shipping and the water injection pumps.
A transformer is available on the North Slope, Beaudo said, but it is located in Prudhoe Bay. “It’s about 26,000 pounds and the size of an automobile,” and requires a heavy duty helicopter to get it to Northstar island.
The closest heavy-duty helicopter was in Oregon, and was expected to arrive on the North Slope by Dec. 3, Beaudo said, with production expected to be back on line by the end of the week, Dec. 5, or over the weekend at the latest.
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