Prudhoe output halted by power loss

A severed compressed air line triggered a field-wide power outage at Prudhoe Bay on May 9, temporarily shutting down operations at the largest oil field in North America.

Most of the system came back online by that afternoon with power for the final pieces coming up on May 10, but the delay nearly cut North Slope oil production in half, down to 405,247 barrels, on May 9. BP spokesman Steve Rinehart on May 14 said production had almost returned to pre-shutdown levels.

The shutdown occurred just after midnight on May 9 when a front-end loader clearing snowdrifts hit a compressed air line at the central power station at Prudhoe Bay, triggering an automatic shutdown of electricity to three gathering centers and three flow stations, as well as the supply of fuel gas used to power the Northstar field.

Although the Lisburne field also lost power, a separate generating facility at the satellite kicked on several hours later.

The other power stations went back online later in the day, restoring electricity to Prudhoe Bay. However, production remained at less than normal levels while operators brought the processing plants back online in a precise sequence.

The only abnormality was overheating at Gathering Center 1, which BP shut down, Rinehart said.

Although Rinehart couldn’t give exact figures on the production loss, he said the fields that were impacted average 380,000 to 400,000 barrels of oil per day.

“We expect a significant production loss today,” he told Petroleum News May 9.

No one was hurt and no oil was spilled in the accident. Rinehart said Prudhoe Bay weather had been “severe” for several days, including ground blizzards strong enough to force crews inside except for emergencies.

—Eric Lidji