ANS production tops 1 million barrels

Kristen Nelson, Petroleum News editor-in-chief

After dropping below the 1 million barrel-per-day mark in April, Alaska North Slope crude oil production averaged 1,006,545 barrels per day in May, up 1.8 percent (17,600 bpd) from April production averaging 988,945 bpd.

April production was pulled down by planned maintenance at Point McIntyre and a compressor seal replacement at Northstar. Impacts on May North Slope production included downtime at Northstar, where valves were replaced in the gas-injection header May 6, and a system default led to a plant shutdown May 7. The Alaska Department of Revenue also reported that planned compressor work May 9-22 on the east side of Prudhoe Bay decreased total production from that field by about 40,000 bpd.

Prudhoe Bay production averaged 464,332 bpd in May, down 6.2 percent from the April average of 494,795 bpd, a 30,463 bpd difference. Prudhoe Bay production figures include satellites at Midnight Sun, Aurora, Polaris, Borealis and Orion.

Endicott production (including Sag River, Eider and Badami), averaged 32,489 bpd, down 2.4 percent (793 barrels) from an April average of 33,282 bpd.

All other North Slope fields had increased production, May over April, led by Northstar which averaged 66,559 bpd, up 47.4 percent (21,403 bpd) over an April average of 45,156 bpd. Lisburne production (including Point McIntyre and Niakuk) averaged 65,973 bpd in May, up 43.3 percent (19,931 bpd) from an April average of 46,042 bpd. April's planned maintenance at the greater Point McIntyre area extended over a two-week period (April 4-17), pulling production from Lisburne down well below its recent 65,000-bpd production range.

Kuparuk River field production (including West Sak, Tabasco, Tarn, Meltwater and Palm) averaged 219,963 bpd in May, up 3.2 percent (6,788 bpd) from the April average of 213,175 bpd. Milne Point production (including Schrader Bluff) averaged 52,884 bpd in May, up 0.8 percent (436 bpd) from April's average of 52,448 bpd.

Alpine averaged 104,345 bpd in May, up 0.3 percent (298 bpd) from an April average of 104,047 bpd.

Cook Inlet production averaged 28,851 bpd in April, down 1.4 percent (404 bpd) from a May average of 29,255 bpd.

The average May temperature at Pump Station No. 1 in Deadhorse was 27.7 degrees Fahrenheit, compared with a three-year average for May of 22 degrees F.