Alaska North Slope production averaged 721,000 barrels per day in October, up 11 percent from 649,117 bpd in September.
September production was pulled down by Prudhoe Bay, which dropped 16.7 percent from August to September. Prudhoe Bay operator BP Exploration (Alaska) told Petroleum News in October that the drop was due to seasonal variability and planned maintenance which included a scheduled turnaround at Gathering Center 2.
Prudhoe averaged 301,967 bpd in October, up 28.14 percent from a September average of 235,650.
Both the September drop and the October increase could be seen in daily production numbers for October. Prudhoe started the month at 230,088 bpd and ended the month at 328,477 bpd. Prudhoe Bay includes production from Midnight Sun, Aurora, Polaris, Borealis and Orion.
Greater Prudhoe Bay, which includes some 33,000 bpd of Prudhoe Bay Flow Station 2 oil moved through the Endicott line and production from Lisburne, averaged 364,111 bpd in October, up 21.2 percent from a September average of 300,364.
Endicott also increases
The BP-operated Endicott field, including some 33,000 bpd of Prudhoe crude, averaged 46,853 bpd in October, up 24.9 percent from a September average of 37,506 bpd. Endicott includes production from Sag Delta and Eider.
BP’s Milne Point field, which includes Schrader Bluff production, averaged 36,827 bpd in October, up 7.7 percent from a September average of 34,198 bpd.
The BP-operated Northstar field averaged 34,644 bpd, up 0.5 percent from a September average of 34,472 bpd.
The ConocoPhillips Alaska-operated Kuparuk River field averaged 148,794 bpd in October, down 0.39 percent from a September average of 149,375 bpd. Kuparuk includes production from West Sak, Tabasco, Palm, Meltwater and Tarn.
The ConocoPhillips-operated Alpine field averaged 122,770 bpd in October, down 2.72 percent from a September average of 126,202 bpd. Alpine includes production from Fiord and Nanuq.
Lisburne production averaged 29,144 bpd in October, down 8.1 percent from a September average of 31,714 bpd. Lisburne includes production from Point McIntyre and Niakuk.
The temperature at Pump Station 1 on the North Slope averaged 22.4 degrees Fahrenheit in October, compared with a five-year average October temperature of 24 degrees F.
Cook Inlet production averaged 15,124 bpd in October, up 3 percent from a September average of 14,671 bpd.
