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ANS production holds steady for March AOGA says state data shows year-to-year production up 0.87 percent, April to March 2015-16 compared to same period for 2014-15 KRISTEN NELSON Petroleum News
Alaska North Slope crude oil production averaged 543,735 barrels per day in March, up 0.4 percent from a February average of 541,450 bpd. Cook Inlet crude oil production for February averaged 16,049 bpd, down 0.8 percent from a January average of 16,180 bpd.
The Alaska Oil and Gas Association, comparing average volumes for Alaska production from April through March for the past two years, found a 0.87 percent increase in daily production, from an average of 508,047 bpd in the earlier period to an average of 512,456 bpd in the most recent 12 months.
This is the first year-over-year production increase in almost 15 years, the organization said.
“This is a powerful testament to what a competitive tax policy can do for oil production,” Kara Moriarty, AOGA president and CEO, said in a statement, noting that the production increase “happened during a period of low oil prices. Despite that challenge, Alaska saw enough investment to realize the first production increase in almost 15 years,” she said, arguing that the production growth is proof that even sustained decline can be reversed with “the right investment climate.”
Comparisons of production in January 2016 with January 2015 by the U.S. Energy Information Administration put Alaska production at an average of 516,000 bpd this January, up 3.1 percent from a January 2015 average of 500,000 bpd.
New production has come online recently from CD5 at the Colville River unit and from a new drill site at the Shark’s Tooth development in the Kuparuk River unit.
Additional new crude oil production is expected in April and May from Cook Inlet’s Cosmopolitan field and from Point Thomson on the North Slope.
Largest increase at Alpine The largest month-over-month North Slope production increase was at the ConocoPhillips Alaska operated Alpine field, the Colville River unit, which averaged 61,247 bpd in March, up 13.4 percent from a February average of 54,020 bpd. Alpine includes satellite production at Fiord, Nanuq and Qannik. CD5, which came online in October, is included in Alpine volumes.
Information for March 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.
The ConocoPhillips-operated Kuparuk River unit also had a month-over-month production increase, averaging 141,397 bpd in March, up 2.7 percent from a February average of 137,714 bpd. Kuparuk volumes as reported by the Tax Division include satellite production from Meltwater, Tabasco, Tarn and West Sak, as well as production from the Eni-operated Nikaitchuq field and the Caelus Alaska-operated Oooguruk field.
AOGCC data for February show Nikaitchuq averaged 25,442 bpd, down 0.6 percent from a January average of 25,591 bpd, while Oooguruk averaged 9,596 bpd, down 13.5 percent from a January average of 11,062 bpd.
Other Slope production down Other North Slope production as reported by the Tax Division was down month-over-month.
The BP Exploration Alaska-operated Prudhoe Bay field, the North Slope’s largest, averaged 307,975 bpd in March, down 2.2 percent from a February average of 314,912 bpd.
Prudhoe Bay volumes reported by the Tax Division include satellite production from Aurora, Borealis, Midnight Sun, Orion, Polaris, Sag River and Ugnu, as well as from the Hilcorp Alaska-operated Milne Point and Northstar fields.
AOGCC data show the Milne Point field averaged 19,518 bpd in February, up 4.3 percent from a January average of 18,707 bpd, while Northstar averaged 5,510 bpd in February, down 1.2 percent from a January average of 5,574 bpd.
The BP-operated Lisburne field averaged 24,758 bpd in March, down 2.8 percent from a February average of 25,475 bpd. Lisburne includes volumes from Niakuk, Point McIntyre and Raven, which, along with Lisburne, are part of Greater Prudhoe Bay.
Hilcorp-operated Endicott averaged 8,358 bpd in March, down 10.4 percent from a February average of 9,329 bpd. Endicott volumes as reported by the Tax Division include satellite production from Eider, Minke and Sag Delta, as well as production from the Savant Alaska-operated Badami field. AOGCC data show Badami averaged 1,044 bpd in February, down 13.5 percent from a January average of 1,206 bpd.
Cook Inlet down month-over-month AOGCC data show crude oil production from Cook Inlet averaged 16,049 bpd in February, down 0.8 percent from a January average of 16,180 bpd.
Two Cook Inlet fields had month-over-month production increases.
The Hilcorp-operated Swanson River field averaged 2,042 bpd in February, up 5.9 percent from a January average of 1,928 bpd.
The Cook Inlet Energy-operated West McArthur River field averaged 1,121 bpd in February, up 0.6 percent from a January average of 1,114 bpd.
The Hilcorp-operated Beaver Creek field averaged 125 bpd in February, the same as January.
Hilcorp’s Granite Point field averaged 2,565 bpd in February, down 0.2 percent from a January average of 2,569 bpd, while McArthur River field, Cook Inlet’s largest, also operated by Hilcorp, averaged 5,190 bpd in February, down 0.8 percent from a January average of 5,229 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Middle Ground Shoal field averaged 1,841 bpd in February, down 3.8 percent from a January average of 1,915 bpd.
The Cook Inlet Energy-operated Redoubt Shoal field averaged 619 bpd in February, down 9.1 percent from a January average of 681 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Trading Bay field averaged 2,545 bpd in February, down 2.8 percent from a January average of 2,618 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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