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ANS up 3% month over month crude, NGL average 525,738 bpd
Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
Alaska North Slope production averaged 525,738 barrels per day in November, up 3.3%, 16,620 bpd, from an October average of 508,751 bpd, but down 2.3% from a November 2018 average of 538,130 bpd. ANS production has two components - ANS crude oil (89.4% of the total) and natural gas liquids (the remaining 10.6%).
ANS crude oil averaged 469,994 bpd in November, up 1.9%, 8,824 bpd, from an October average of 461,170, but down 2.5% from a November 2018 average of 481,936 bpd. NGL is produced from Prudhoe, Endicott and Northstar and averaged 55,744 bpd in November, up 17.2%, 8,163 bpd, from an October average of 47,581, but down 2.3% from a November 2018 average of 56,194 bpd.
Production data reported here is from the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which provides volumes by field and well on a month delay basis.
Largest increase at Prudhoe The largest month-over-month volume increase was at the BP Exploration (Alaska) operated Prudhoe Bay field, the Slope’s largest, which averaged 277,672 bpd in November, up 9.1%, 23,240 bpd, from an October average of 254,432, but down 3.8% from a November 2018 average of 288,769 bpd. Crude oil at Prudhoe averaged 225,503 bpd, up 7.5%, 15,722 bpd, from an October average of 209,781, but down 4.7% from a November 2018 average of 236,560 bpd. Prudhoe NGL production averaged 52,169 bpd in November, up 16.8%, 7,518 bpd, from an October average of 44,650 bpd but down 0.1% from a November 2018 average of 52,209 bpd.
In addition to the primary reservoir, production volumes from Prudhoe include Aurora, Borealis, Lisburne, Midnight Sun, Niakuk, Polaris, Point McIntyre, Put River, Raven and Schrader Bluff.
Other increases Oooguruk, operated by Eni, averaged 9,045 bpd in November, up 9.3%, 769 bpd, from an October average of 8,276, but down 10.3% from a November 2018 average of 10,081 bpd.
ConocoPhillips Alaska’s Greater Mooses Tooth in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska averaged 8,060 bpd in November, up 7.7% from an October average of 7,481 bpd, but down 4.9% from a November 2018 average of 8,473 bpd. There are three producing wells at the field, but one well, GMTU MT6-05, which averaged 7,594 bpd in November, accounted for 94% of the field’s production.
Hilcorp Alaska’s Northstar field averaged 9,629 bpd in November (7,046 bpd of crude and 2,584 bpd of NGL), up 5% from an October average of 9,172 bpd (7,150 bpd of crude and 2,022 bpd of NGL) but down 20.2% from a November 2018 average of 12,062 bpd (8,953 bpd of crude and 3,110 bpd of NGL).
The Hilcorp operated Endicott field averaged 7,505 bpd in November (6,512 bpd of crude and 992 bpd of NGL), up 31 bpd, 0.4%, from an October average of 7,473 bpd, although down 0.5% from a November 2018 average of 7,541 bpd.
The Slope’s newest producing field, Southern Miluveach, operated by Brooks Range Petroleum, came online in November, averaging 367 bpd from a single well - total production for the month was 10,999 barrels. While production numbers are shown here averaged over the number of days in the month, the field produced for just 23 days, so for those producing days, it would have averaged 478 bpd.
Month over month declines All other North Slope fields had month over month production declines, with the largest at the ExxonMobil Production-operated Point Thomson, which averaged 1,263 bpd, down 3,547 bpd, 73.8%, from an October average of 4,810 bpd and down 87.3% from a November 2018 average of 9,949 bpd.
Point Thomson production is from a single well and is dependent on gas injection compressor availability and reliability. The company told the Division of Oil and Gas in an October plan of development that it experienced issues related to its gas injection equipment in the 2018-19 plan period and has begun installing modified components with remaining equipment to be received and installed during the 2020-21 plan period. The facilities are rated at 10,000 bpd.
The Slope’s second largest field, the ConocoPhillips Alaska-operated Kuparuk River field, averaged 105,512 bpd in November, down 2.2%, 2,409 bpd, from an October average of 107,921 bpd and down 4.3% from a November 2018 average of 110,280 bpd.
In addition to the main pool, Kuparuk produces from satellites at Meltwater, Tabasco and Tarn, and from West Sak.
Eni’s Nikaitchuq field averaged 18,575 bpd in November, down 6.9%, 1,371 bpd, from an October average of 19,946 bpd but up 183.5% from a November 2018 average of 6,553 bpd. Only Oliktok Point wells were in production last November due to flowline repairs at the field; the majority of the field’s wells are on the Spy Island drill site.
The Hilcorp-operated Milne Point field averaged 29,023 bpd in November, down 1.9%, 547 bpd, from an October average of 29,571, but up 32.3% from a November 2018 average of 21,930 bpd.
ConocoPhillips’ Colville River averaged 57,709 bpd in November, down 480 bpd, 0.8%, from an October average of 58,189 bpd, and down 4.9% from a November 2018 average of 60,684 bpd.
In addition to oil from the main Alpine pool, Colville production includes satellite production from Fiord, Nanuq and Qannik.
Badami, operated by Savant Alaska, a Glacier Oil & Gas company, averaged 1,379 bpd in November, down 102 bpd, 6.9%, from an October average of 1,481 bpd and down 23.7% from a November 2018 average of 1,808 bpd.
Cook Inlet up 3.7% Crude oil production from Cook Inlet averaged 14,117 bpd in November, up 3.7%, 504 bpd, from an October average of 13,613 bpd but down 8.1% from a November 2018 average of 15,359 bpd.
The largest month over month increase was at Hilcorp’s Granite Point, which averaged 2,712 bpd in November, up 309 bpd, 12.8%, from an October average of 2,403 bpd, but down 0.6% from a November 2018 average of 2,729 bpd.
Redoubt Shoal, operated by Cook Inlet Energy, a Glacier Oil & Gas company, averaged 1,362 bpd in November, up 230 bpd, 20.3%, from an October average of 1,132 and up 7.5% from a November 2018 average of 1,268 bpd.
Hilcorp’s McArthur River, the inlet’s largest field, averaged 4,553 bpd in November, up 81 bpd, 1.8%, from an October average of 4,472, but down 1.6% from a November 2018 average of 4,626 bpd.
West McArthur River, operated by Glacier’s Cook Inlet Energy, averaged 576 bpd in November, up 52 bpd, 9.9%, from an October average of 524 bpd, but down 10.7% from a November 2018 average of 645 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Middle Ground Shoal was basically flat, averaging 1,326 bpd in November compared to 1,325 bpd in October, but down 10.3% from a November 2018 average of 1,479 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Swanson River averaged 831 bpd in November, down 10 bpd, 1.2%, from an October average of 841 bpd and down 36.1% from a November 2018 average of 1,299 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Beaver Creek averaged 206 bpd in November, down 29 bpd, 12.5%, from an October average of 235 bpd and down 77.3% from a November 2018 average of 904 bpd.
BlueCrest Alaska’s Hansen field, the Cosmopolitan unit, averaged 1,186 bpd in November, down 60 bpd, 4.8%, from an October average of 1,246 bpd, but up 8.3% from a November 2018 average of 1,095 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Trading Bay field averaged 1,366 bpd, down 69 bpd, 4.8%, from an October average of 1,435 bpd but up 4% from a November 2018 average of 1,314 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.
- KRISTEN NELSON
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