April ANS production down 1.9% from March

Milne Point, Point Thomson only North Slope fields with month-over-month increases; April Cook Inlet crude down 13% from March

Kristen Nelson

Petroleum News

Alaska North Slope production averaged 490,525 barrels per day in April, down 1.9%, 9,577 bpd, from a March average of 500,082 bpd and down 1.6% from an April 2020 average of 498,422 bpd.

ANS crude averaged 437,136 bpd in April, 89.1% of ANS production, down 1.3%, 5,642 bpd, from an April average of 442,778 bpd and down 2.6% from an April 2020 average of 448,849 bpd.

North Slope natural gas liquids averaged 53,389 bpd in April, 10.9% of ANS production, down 6.8%, 3,916 bpd, from a March average of 57,305 bpd but up 7.7% from an April 2020 average of 49,573 bpd. ANS NGLs are produced from just three fields - Endicott, Northstar and Prudhoe Bay.

Production data come from the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission which reports production by field and well on a month delay basis.

Milne, Point Thomson up

Hilcorp has been working hard to increase production at this field since 2014, when it purchased a 50% working interest from BP and took over as operator. Hilcorp acquired the remainder of BP’s interest in the field as part of its 2019 purchase of BP’s Alaska assets, a sale which closed July 1.

The ExxonMobil Production Co.-operated Point Thomson field averaged 7,970 bpd in April, up 16.4%, 1,123 bpd, from a March average of 6,847 bpd but down 14.1% from an April 2020 average of 9,278 bpd. Facilities at the field are rated at 10,000 bpd, but the company has struggled to keep production at the high-pressure condensate field at that level.

Prudhoe, Kuparuk have largest declines

Prudhoe production is 81.8% crude and 18.2% NGLs, with crude averaging 219,683 bpd in April, down 0.6%, 1,308 bpd from a March average of 220,991 bpd and up 2.4% from an April 2020 average of 214,644 bpd and NGLs averaging 48,856 bpd in April, down 7.1%, 3,738 bpd, from a March average of 53,593 bpd and up 7% from an April 2020 average of 45,645 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.

Production at the ConocoPhillips Alaska-operated Kuparuk River field averaged 91,690 bpd in April, down 2.4%, 2,282 bpd, from a March average of 93,972 bpd and down 6% from an April 2020 average of 97,555 bpd.

In addition to the main Kuparuk pool, Kuparuk produces from satellites at Meltwater, Tabasco and Tarn, and from West Sak.

Eni’s Nikaitchuq field averaged 16,021 bpd in April, down 10.3%, 1,843 bpd, from a March average of 17,864 bpd and down 9.7% from an April 2020 average of 17,737 bpd.

ConocoPhillips’ Colville River field averaged 46,032 bpd in April, down 1,658 bpd, 3.5%, from a March average of 47,691 bpd and down 9.5% from an April 2020 average of 50,854 bpd.

In addition to oil from the main Alpine pool, Colville production includes satellite production from Nanuq and Qannik.

Eni’s Oooguruk averaged 6,026 bpd in April, down 888 bpd, 12.8%, from a March average of 6,913 bpd and down 20.3% from an April 2020 average of 7,562 bpd.

ConocoPhillips’ Greater Mooses Tooth in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska averaged 2,606 bpd in April, down 13.7%, 415 bpd, from a March average of 3,021 bpd and down 44.5% from an April 2020 average of 4,699 bpd.

The Hilcorp-operated Northstar field averaged 9,032 bpd in April, down 251 bpd, 2.7%, from a March average of 9,283 bpd and down 0.4% from an April 2020 average of 9,071 bpd. Crude oil from the field averaged 58.5% of production, 5,279 bpd in April, down 2.8%, 149 bpd, from a March average of 5,428 bpd and down 13.7% from an April 2020 average of 6,118 bpd. Northstar NGLs were 41.6% of April production at 3,753 bpd, down 2.6%, 101 bpd, from a March average of 3,854 bpd and up 27.1% from an April 2020 average of 2,953 bpd.

The Hilcorp-operated Endicott field averaged 6,606 bpd in April, down 1.2%, 78 bpd, from a March average of 6,685 bpd and down 12.4% from an April 2020 average of 7,543 bpd. Crude oil in April was 88.2% of Endicott production, averaging 5,826 bpd, down from 5,828 bpd in March and down 11.3% from an April 2020 average of 6,569 bpd. NGLs were 11.8% of production at 780 bpd, down 9%, 77 bpd, from a March average of 857 bpd and down 19.9% from an April 2020 average of 974 bpd.

Badami, operated by Savant Alaska, a Glacier Oil and Gas company, averaged 1,307 bpd in April, down 71 bpd, 5.2%, from a March average of 1,378 bpd and down 0.1% from an April 2020 average of 1,308 bpd.

Cook Inlet down 12.6%

The drop in Cook Inlet production is almost entirely due to a 94.8% month-over-month drop in production from Hilcorp’s Middle Ground Shoal following a fuel gas leak reported April 1 from a line connecting the Middle Ground Shoal A Platform with the MGS onshore facilities.

The company reported only one day of production from Middle Ground Shoal in April, averaging out to 64 bpd over the month, hence the drop of 94.8% from a March average of 1,226 bpd and a comparable drop of 94.8% from an April 2020 average of 1,229 bpd.

Month-over-month per-barrel changes at other Cook Inlet fields were all small by comparison.

Hilcorp’s Beaver Creek averaged 215 bpd in April, down 34 bpd, 13.6%, from a March average of 249 bpd and up 31.8% from an April 2020 average of 2020.

Hilcorp’s Granite Point averaged 2,709 bpd in April, down 2.8%, 78 bpd, from a March average of 2,787 bpd and down 16.1% from an April 2020 average of 3,230 bpd.

BlueCrest’s Hansen field averaged 944 bpd in April, up 30 bpd, 3.3%, from a March average of 914 bpd and down 7.3% from an April 2020 average of 1,018 bpd.

Hilcorp’s McArthur River, Cook Inlet’s largest field, averaged 3,435 bpd in April, basically unchanged from a 3,437-bpd average in March and down 12.6% from an April 2020 average of 3,928 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Swanson River averaged 979 bpd combined crude and NGLs in April, down 9 bpd, 1%, from a March average of 988 bpd and up 8.3% from an April 2020 average of 904 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Trading Bay averaged 1,078 bpd in April, up 1.6%, 17 bpd, from a March average of 1,061 bpd and down 22.1% from an April 2020 average of 1,383 bpd.

With the exception of a small volume of NGLs from Swanson River, 124 bpd in April, all of Cook Inlet production is crude.

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.

Cook Inlet gas down 4.3%

The inlet production drop was driven by lower production from seven of the largest nine fields, which averaged a combined 193,908 mcf per day in April, down 5.2% from a March total of 204,589 mcf per day. Those fields accounted for 87.8% of inlet gas production in April, compared to 88.6% in March.

This data is from the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which reports production on a month-delay basis. For natural gas AOGCC reports measurements in thousands of cubic feet, mcf.

The largest month-over-month drop was at Hilcorp’s Kenai gas field, accounting for 21.7% of production, which averaged 47,954 mcf per day in April, down 8.6%, 4,510 mcf per day, from a March average of 52,465 mcf per day but up 43.7% from an April 2020 average of 33,368 mcf per day.

The Hilcorp-operated Beluga River field averaged 20,980 mcf per day in April, 9.5% of inlet production, down 2,787 mcf per day, 11.7%, from a March average of 23,767 mcf per day but up 15.3% from an April 2020 average of 18,204 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Ninilchik field averaged 28,658 mcf per day in April, 13% of inlet production, down 1,690 mcf per day, 5.6%, from a March average of 30,348 mcf per day, and down 16.5% from an April 2020 average of 34,313 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Swanson River averaged 18,963 mcf per day in April, 8.6% of inlet production, down 1,055 mcf per day, 5.3%, from a March average of 20,019 mcf per day and down 40.9% from an April 2020 average of 32,067 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s North Cook Inlet averaged 13,933 mcf per day in April, 6.3% of inlet production, down 6.8%, 1,016 mcf per day, from a March average of 14,949 mcf per day but up 8.5% from an April 2020 average of 12,839 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s McArthur River averaged 26,380 mcf per day in April, 11.9% of inlet production, down 437 mcf per day, 1.6%, from a March average of 26,817 mcf per day but up 26.7% from an April 2020 average of 20,819 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Ivan River averaged 10,466 mcf per day in April, 4.7% of inlet production, down 377 mcf per day, 3.5%, from a March average of 10,832 mcf per day, but up 2,919.2% from an April 2020 average of 346 mcf per day.

Two of the nine largest producers had month-over-month increases.

Furie’s Kitchen Lights averaged 15,421 mcf per day in April, 7% of inlet production, up 759 mcf per day, 5.2%, from a March average of 14,662 mcf per day and up 11.8% from an April 2020 average of 13,790 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Beaver Creek averaged 11,164 mcf per day in April, 5% of inlet production, up 432 mcf per day, 4%, from a March average of 10,732 mcf per day and up 22.1% from an April 2020 average of 9,145 mcf per day.

Inlet’s smaller gas producers

In descending order by April production, Hilcorp’s Cannery Loop averaged 4,923 mcf per day in April, 2.2% of inlet production, down 203 mcf per day, 4%, from a March average of 5,126 mcf per day but up 10.2% from an April 2020 average of 4,460 mcf per day.

AIX’s Kenai Loop averaged 4,834 mcf per day, 2.2% of inlet production, up 20 mcf per day, 0.4%, from a March average of 4,814 mcf per day and down 7.6% from an April 2020 average of 5,230 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Deep Creek averaged 4,322 mcf per day in April, 2% of inlet production, up 1,310 mcf per day, 43.5%, from a March average of 3,012 mcf per day and up 6.1% from an April 2020 average of 4,074 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Granite Point averaged 3,644 mcf per day in April, 1.7% of inlet production, down 29 mcf per day, 0.8%, from a March average of 3,673 mcf per day and up 3.4% from an April 2020 average of 3,524 mcf per day.

BlueCrest’s Hansen averaged 2,554 mcf per day in April, 1.2% of inlet production, up 183 mcf per day, 7.7%, from a March average of 2,371 mcf per day but down 26% from an April 2020 average of 3,453 mcf per day.

The North Fork field, operated by Vision Operating (formerly Gardes Holdings), averaged 3,077 mcf per day in April, 1.4% of inlet production, up 32 mcf per day, 1.1%, from a March average of 3,045 mcf per day, but down 14.4% from an April 2020 average of 3,593 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Trading Bay averaged 2,088 mcf per day in April, 0.9% of inlet production, down 92 mcf per day, 4.2%, from a March average of 2,180 mcf per day and down 33.1% from an April 2020 average of 3,121 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Lewis River averaged 1,111 mcf per day in April, 0.5% of inlet production, up 15 mcf per day, 1.3%, from a March average of 1,096 mcf per day and up 0.5% from an April 2020 average of 1,105 mcf per day.

Amaroq’s Nicolai Creek averaged 355 mcf per day, 0.2% of inlet production, down 41 mcf per day, 10.3%, from a March average of 395 mcf per day but up 36.4% from an April 2020 average of 260 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Nikolaevsk averaged 145 mcf per day in April, 0.1% of inlet production, down 190 mcf per day, 56.8%, from a March average of 335 mcf per day and down 22.8% from an April 2020 average of 187 mcf per day.

Cook Inlet natural gas production peaked in the mid-1990s at more than 850,000 mcf per day.

—KRISTEN NELSON