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ANS April production up 1.7% over March Largest Slope increase at Kuparuk, up 7%; Cook Inlet crude oil production averages 16,223 bpd in March, down 2% from February Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
Alaska North Slope crude oil production averaged 555,987 barrels per day in April, up 1.73 percent from a March average of 546,520 bpd.
The largest month-over-month increase was at the ConocoPhillips Alaska-operated Kuparuk River field, which averaged 149,449 bpd in April, up 6.89 percent (9,639 bpd) from a March average of 139,810 bpd.
Kuparuk volumes include satellite production from Meltwater, Northeast West Sak or NEWS, Tabasco, Tarn and West Sak, as well as from the Eni-operated Nikaitchuq field and the Caelus Energy Alaska-operated Oooguruk field. (Caelus completed its purchase of Oooguruk from Pioneer Natural Resources Alaska in mid-April.)
In March, the most recent month for which data by field is available, Nikaitchuq averaged 19,733 bpd, up 3.4 percent (646 bpd) from a February average of 19,087, and Oooguruk averaged 7,343 bpd, up 19.6 percent (1,202 bpd) from a February average of 6,141 bpd.
Information for April 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.
Prudhoe up slightly The BP Exploration (Alaska)-operated Prudhoe Bay field averaged 316,002 bpd in April, up 0.8 percent (2,473 bpd) from a March average of 313,529 bpd.
Prudhoe volumes include satellite production from Aurora, Borealis, Midnight Sun, Orion, Polaris, Sag River, Schrader Bluff and Ugnu, as well as production from the BP-operated Milne Point and Northstar fields. BP recently announced plans to sell its interest in Northstar and half of its interest in Milne Point to Hilcorp Alaska, which will operate those fields.
March AOGCC data shows that Milne Point averaged 20,151 bpd, up 6.6 percent (1,251 bpd) from a February average of 18,900 bpd, while Northstar averaged 10,499 bpd, down 0.4 percent (37 bpd) from a February average of 10,536 bpd.
The ConocoPhillips-operated Alpine field averaged 53,857 bpd in April, up 0.5 percent (241 bpd) from a March average of 53,616 bpd. Alpine volumes include satellite production from Fiord, Nanuq and Qannik.
Lisburne, Endicott down Production from the BP-operated Endicott field averaged 8,327 bpd in April, down 17.5 percent (1,767 bpd) from a March average of 10,094 bpd. Endicott includes production from the Savant Alaska-operated Badami field, which in March averaged 1,051 bpd, down 10.8 percent (127 bpd) from a February average of 1,178 bpd. Hilcorp is also acquiring BP’s interest in Endicott and will operate that field.
Production from the BP-operated Lisburne field averaged 28,352 bpd in April, down 3.8 percent (1,119 bpd) from a March average of 29,471 bpd. Lisburne production includes Niakuk, Point McIntyre and Raven.
Cook Inlet production down 2 percent AOGCC figures show Cook Inlet production for March averaged 16,223 bpd, down 2.1 percent (344 bpd) from a February average of 16,567 bpd.
Hilcorp Alaska is the largest operator in Cook Inlet, with five fields: Beaver Creek, Granite Point, McArthur River, Swanson River and Trading Bay, which collectively produced 12,051 bpd in March.
Beaver Creek, the smallest, averaged 131 bpd in March, down 24.8 percent (43 bpd) from a February average of 175 bpd.
Granite Point averaged 2,687 bpd in March, up 10.4 percent (254 bpd) from a February average of 2,433 bpd.
McArthur River — Cook Inlet’s largest — averaged 4,330 bpd in March, down 1.1 percent (49 bpd) from a February average of 4,379 bpd.
Swanson River averaged 2,272 bpd in March, down 5.9 percent (142 bpd) from a February average of 2,414 bpd.
Trading Bay averaged 2,630 bpd in March, down 7.2 percent (204 bpd) from a February average of 2,834 bpd.
Cook Inlet Energy operates the Redoubt Shoal and West McArthur River fields.
Redoubt Shoal averaged 1,270 bpd in March, up 7.1 percent (85 bpd) from a February average of 1,186 bpd, while West McArthur River averaged 833 bpd in March, down 24.3 percent (268 bpd) from a February average of 1,101 bpd.
ExxonMobil subsidiary XTO operates the Middle Ground Shoal field, which averaged 2,069 bpd in March, up 1.1 percent (23 bpd) from a February average of 2,046 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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