Alaska North Slope crude oil production bounced back in April after a steep drop in March following the Prudhoe Bay Gathering Center 2 oil spill, discovered March 2, which shut in some 100,000 barrels per day.
The Department of Revenue said that beginning April 4 Prudhoe Bay operator BP Exploration (Alaska) partially restored flow by diverting shut-in oil from the corroded pipeline to an adjacent feeder pipeline.
ANS production averaged 824,357 bpd in April, up 7.3 percent from a March average of only 768,498 bpd. Prudhoe Bay production averaged 374,855 bpd in April, up 17.7 percent from a March average of 318,515, but still down from a February average of 400,383 bpd.
BP-operated Lisburne averaged 29,801 bpd in April, down 21.2 percent from a March average of 37,834. The ConocoPhillips Alaska-operated Alpine field averaged production of 125,548 bpd in April, down 0.9 percent from a March average of 126,665. BP’s Milne Point field had slightly reduced production, averaging 41,628 bpd in April, down 0.03 percent from a March average of 41,640 bpd.
BP’s Northstar field averaged 56,729 bpd in April, up 8 percent from a March average of 52,527 bpd. The ConocoPhillips-operated Kuparuk River field averaged 176,065 bpd in April, up 2.5 percent from a March average of 171,786 bpd. The BP-operated Endicott field averaged 19,731 bpd in April, up 1 percent from a March average of 19,531 bpd.
Editor’s note: See story in May 7 issue of Petroleum News
