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November weather drops production ANS averages 667,250 bpd, down 9.5 percent from October numbers after mid-month weather slows tanker loading in Valdez Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
Weather continued to plague Alaska North Slope crude oil production in November, dropping the average to just 667,250 barrels per day for the month, down 9.48 percent from an October average of 737,141 bpd. Bad weather in Valdez slowed tanker loading in mid-November, forcing Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. to slow oil flow in the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, which went from 793,305 bpd Nov. 13 to a low of 267,804 bpd Nov. 20, and then ramped up, reaching 739,310 bpd on Nov. 23 and 806,579 on Nov. 30.
October’s weather problems were different: flooding in the Valdez area which affected fiber-optic communication lines along the pipeline and high winds and rain on the North Slope which knocked out power at Prudhoe Bay.
Figures reported by the Department of Revenue’s Tax Division show Valdez inventories peaking at more than 6.2 million barrels Nov. 19, after starting the month at 3.3 million barrels; there were 2.7 million barrels in inventory in Valdez Nov. 30.
The Joint Pipeline Office said in its Nov. 22 report that high winds and waves in the Valdez area beginning Nov. 15 interfered with tanker loading at the Valdez Marine Terminal, and North Slope producers had to prorate normal pipeline throughput “as inventory in the storage tanks at the VMT has gotten as high as 93.4 percent.”
JPO said there are 14 crude oil storage tanks available for use at the terminal, each of which can hold 510,000 barrels of oil, a total of 7.14 million barrels.
Most fields down Prudhoe Bay had the largest barrel drop in production from October to November, almost 28,000 bpd, but Northstar had the highest percentage drop, 14.6 percent, averaging 43,447 bpd in November, compared to 50,883 bpd in October. Production from BP Exploration (Alaska)-operated Northstar bottomed out at 19,052 bpd Nov. 21 before beginning to rebound; the field produced 52,090 bpd on Nov. 30.
The ConocoPhillips Alaska-operated Alpine field had a 14.54 percent drop in production, averaging just 104,005 bpd in November, compared to 121,695 bpd in October. Production bottomed out at 35,727 bpd Nov. 20. Alpine, buoyed by Nanuq production, which began Nov. 27 (see story in Dec. 3 issue of Petroleum News), ended the month at 139,062 bpd. In addition to Nanuq, Alpine production includes another satellite, Fiord, which began production in August (see story in Aug. 13 issue of Petroleum News).
BP-operated Milne Point averaged 28,313 bpd in November, down 14.45 percent from an October average of 33,095 bpd.
ConocoPhillips-operated Kuparuk averaged 145,128 bpd in November, down 11.2 percent from an October average of 163,439 bpd, bottoming out at 56,105 bpd Nov. 20, but producing in the 150,000-bpd range at the end of November.
BP-operated Prudhoe Bay averaged 285,000 bpd in November, down 8.9 percent from an October average of 312,962 bpd. Prudhoe had its lowest production for the month Nov. 20, with 113,682 bpd; the field produced 360,363 bpd Nov. 30.
Lisburne, also operated by BP, averaged 17,575 bpd in November, down 5.8 percent from an October average of 18,654 bpd. The field had only 7,521 bpd of production Nov. 16; it produced 20,993 bpd Nov. 30.
Endicott has increase BP-operated Endicott was the only North Slope field to see a production increase from October to November. The field averaged 43,782 bpd in November, up 20.2 percent from an October average of 36,413 bpd. Endicott had decreased production in mid-month, averaging just 19,391 bpd Nov. 20.
The field’s November average is up over October because mid-way through October the Endicott pipeline started carrying some 32,000 bpd of Prudhoe Bay FS-2 oil. Last year at this time Endicott production averaged some 21,000 bpd.
Cook Inlet oil production averaged 16,528 bpd in November, down 1.4 percent from an October average of 16,768 bpd.
The November temperature at Pump Station 1 on the North Slope was 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit, compared to an average November temperature of 2.1 degrees F.
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