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December ANS crude oil production up 2% Month-over-month North Slope increase to 567,600 bpd; Cook Inlet crude production continues to edge up at 16,701 bpd for November Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
Alaska North Slope crude oil production averaged 567,600 barrels per day in December, up 2 percent from a November average of 556,470 bpd, a month-over-month increase of 11,130 bpd.
On a per-barrel basis the largest increase was from the BP Exploration (Alaska)-operated Prudhoe Bay field, which averaged 328,739 bpd in December, up 2.4 percent from a November average of 321,125 bpd, an average increase of 7,614 bpd.
Prudhoe Bay includes production from several satellite fields — Aurora, Borealis, Midnight Sun, Orion and Polaris — as well as from the BP-operated Northstar and Milne Point fields and the Prudhoe Schrader Bluff and Sag River oil pools, in addition to the main Prudhoe Bay oil pool.
Information for December comes from the Alaska Department of Revenue’s Tax Division which reports North Slope oil production consolidated by major production centers and provides daily production and monthly averages. More detailed data, including Cook Inlet and individual North Slope fields and pools, is reported by the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission on a month-delay basis.
Kuparuk up 3.1 percent The ConocoPhillips Alaska-operated Kuparuk River field averaged 141,812 bpd in December, up 3.1 percent, an average of 4,257 bpd, from a November average of 137,555 bpd.
Kuparuk River production includes West Sak and Northeast West Sak; satellite production from Meltwater, Tarn and Tabasco; and production from the Eni-operated Nikaitchuq field and the Pioneer Natural Resources Alaska-operated Oooguruk field.
November production data from AOGCC shows Nikaitchuq production averaging 16,218 bpd, up 7.8 percent, 1,174 bpd, from an October average of 15,044 bpd. Oooguruk production averaged 7,045 bpd in November, up 9 percent, 582 bpd, from an October average of 6,463 bpd.
The largest month-over-month percentage increase on the North Slope was at the BP-operated Endicott field, which averaged 10,666 bpd in December, up 29.2 percent from a November average of 8,255 bpd, an increase averaging 2,411 bpd. Endicott was producing in the 7,000-9,000 bpd range for much of November, climbing to the 10,000-bpd range late in that month and producing at the 10,000-11,000 bpd range for the majority of December.
Endicott production includes Sag Delta, Eider, Minke and the Savant Alaska-operated Badami field.
Badami production averaged 1,240 bpd in November, up 0.4 percent from an October average of 1,235 bpd.
Alpine, Lisburne down December production from the ConocoPhillips-operated Alpine field averaged 57,426 bpd in December, down 4 percent, 2,411 bpd, from a November average of 59,837 bpd. Alpine production includes satellite production from Fiord, Nanuq and Qannik.
November data for the individual fields in the Colville River unit shows Alpine at 39,161 bpd; Fiord at 16,834 bpd; Nanuq at 2,155 bpd; and Qannik at 1,666 bpd.
There was also a month-over-month decline in production at BP-operated Lisburne, part of greater Prudhoe Bay. Lisburne averaged 28,957 bpd in December, down 2.5 percent, an average of 741 bpd, from a November average of 29,698 bpd. Lisburne production includes Niakuk, Point McIntyre and Raven.
Cook Inlet up slightly Production from Cook Inlet edged up in November, averaging 16,701 bpd, a 1.7 percent increase over October at 16,418 bpd.
The largest month-over-month increases were at Cook Inlet Energy’s Redoubt Shoal and West McArthur River fields and Hilcorp Alaska’s Trading Bay field.
Redoubt Shoal averaged 2,009 bpd in November, up 22.2 percent from an October average of 1,644 bpd, an increase of 365 bpd, while West McArthur River averaged 903 bpd in November, up 75.4 percent from an October average of 515 bpd, an increase of 388 bpd.
Trading Bay production averaged 2,512 bpd in November, up 17.5 percent, 374 bpd, from an October average of 2,138 bpd.
Other fields with month-over-month increases included Hilcorp’s Beaver Creek field, up 8.2 percent at 148 bpd; Hilcorp’s Granite Point field, up 2.3 percent at 2,340 bpd; and XTO Energy’s Middle Ground Shoal field, up 2.2 percent at 2,246 bpd.
Hilcorp’s McArthur River and Swanson River fields had month-over-month declines.
McArthur River averaged 4,341 bpd in November, down 4.5 percent, 204 bpd, from an October average of 4,545 bpd, while Swanson River averaged 2,203 bpd in November, down 9.2 percent from an October average of 2,425 bpd.
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.
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