|
ANS month-to-month production level Alaska North Slope crude oil averages 624,058 bpd in January, marginally up from 622,356 bpd in December, led by Prudhoe increase Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
Alaska North Slope crude oil production averaged 624,058 barrels per day in January, a marginal 0.27 percent month-over-month increase from 622,356 bpd in December.
Production from the BP Exploration (Alaska)-operated Prudhoe Bay field, the largest field on the Slope, averaged 366,728 bpd in January, up 1.8 percent from a December average of 360,275 bpd. In addition to crude oil from the main Prudhoe pool, the Prudhoe Bay volume includes the Milne Point and Northstar fields and the Prudhoe satellites at Aurora, Borealis, Midnight Sun, Niakuk, Orion, as well as Schrader Bluff viscous oil.
The increase at Prudhoe, an average of 6,453 bpd, was what gave ANS its slight month-over-month increase, as all other fields had lower production volumes in January than in December.
Except where noted, volumes are from the Alaska Department of Revenue’s Tax Division, which reports oil production only by major production centers and provides daily production and monthly averages.
The division does not provide production by field or pool, but detailed data from the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, available on a month-delay basis, shows that in December Milne Point produced 612,653 barrels, or 19,763 bpd, while Northstar produced 398,666 barrels, or 12,860 bpd.
Lisburne, also operated by BP, and part of greater Prudhoe Bay, averaged 32,542 bpd in January, down 3.4 percent or 1,144 bpd, from a December average of 33,686. Lisburne includes Niakuk and Point McIntyre.
Kuparuk production down The ConocoPhillips Alaska-operated Kuparuk River field had the largest month-over-month decline in barrels, down 1,524 bpd. The field averaged 135,062 bpd in January, down 1.12 percent from a December average of 136,586 bpd. Kuparuk includes production from satellites at Tabasco, Tarn and Meltwater, viscous West Sak production (analogous to Schrader Bluff at Prudhoe), and production from the Pioneer Natural Resources Alaska-operated Oooguruk field and from the Eni-operated Nikaitchuq field.
AOGCC data show that in December Nikaitchuq produced 217,798 barrels, 7,025 bpd, while Oooguruk produced 196,802 barrels, or 6,348 bpd.
The BP-operated Endicott field had the largest percent drop, down 7.05 percent, averaging 12,209 bpd in January compared to 13,135 bpd in December. Endicott includes production from the Badami field on the eastern North Slope. AOGCC data shows that in December Badami produced 34,327 barrels, an average of 1,107 bpd.
The ConocoPhillips-operated Alpine field averaged 77,517 bpd in January, down 1.47 percent or 1,157 bpd, from a December average of 78,674. Alpine includes satellite production at Fiord, Nanuq and Qannik.
Cook Inlet The division no longer reports Cook Inlet production.
AOGCC data from December shows 326,515 barrels produced in December, an average of 10,533 bpd, up 2.5 percent or 261 bpd from a November average of 10,272 bpd. The production is from Beaver Creek, Granite Point, McArthur River, Middle Ground Shoal, Redoubt Shoal, Swanson River, Trading Bay and West McArthur River. Only three Cook Inlet fields average production of more than 1,000 bpd: Granite Point at 1,987 bpd, McArthur River at 4,063 bpd and Middle Ground Shoal at 2,441 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.
|
