Point Thomson starting to appear on AOGCC production report

Point Thomson came on production April 2 and data now available show that the field averaged just 1,599 barrels per day in April. Production from the ExxonMobil-operated field has started to appear on the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission’s monthly production report, which breaks out data by field and pool, but on a month-delay basis. Production from the field has appeared as part of the report published by the Department of Revenue’s Tax Division, but only as a part of the total shown under Endicott. The Revenue data consolidates production by major centers and provides daily and monthly averages. The AOGCC’s more detailed data, including Cook Inlet and individual North Slope fields and pools, is reported on a month-delay basis.

Point Thomson facilities are designed to produce as much as 10,000 bpd, so over time production volumes should tick upward.

Overall, North Slope crude oil production averaged 529,670 bpd in May, up 4.6 percent from an April average of 506,441 bpd.

The largest month-over month increase was at the BP Exploration (Alaska)-operated Prudhoe Bay field, the Slope’s largest, which averaged 286,286 bpd in May, up 8.8 percent from an April average of 263,261 bpd. Prudhoe production includes satellite production from Aurora, Borealis, Midnight Sun, Orion, Polaris, Sag River and Schrader Bluff, as well as from the Hilcorp Alaska-operated Milne Point and Northstar fields.

AOGCC data for April show Milne Point averaging 19,093 bpd, down 0.9 percent from a March average of 19,274 bpd, while Northstar averaged 5,168 bpd in April, down 4.1 percent from a March average of 5,391 bpd.

Kuparuk up 2.5 percent

AOGCC data show Nikaitchuq averaged 23,347 bpd in April, down 4.5 percent from an April average of 24,449, while Oooguruk averaged 17,250 bpd in April, up 28.8 percent from a March average of 13,388 bpd.

The Hilcorp-operated Endicott field, where volumes include production from Eider and Sag Delta, as well as from the Savant Alaska-operated Badami field and the ExxonMobil-operated Point Thomson field, averaged 9,176 bpd in May, down 10.3 percent from an April average of 10,231 bpd. In March, prior to the startup of Point Thomson, Endicott volumes averaged 8,358 bpd.

AOGCC data for April show Badami averaged 1,005 bpd, down 4 percent from a March average of 1,047 bpd. As noted above, the first month of Point Thomson production showed an average of 1,599 bpd for April.

Lisburne, Alpine also down

The ConocoPhillips-operated Alpine field averaged 65,783 bpd in May, down 1.6 percent from an April average of 66,842. Alpine includes satellite volumes from satellites at Fiord, Nanuq and Qannik.

Cook Inlet down month-over-month

The largest month-over-month decline by percentage was at the Cook Inlet Energy-operated West McArthur River field, which averaged 763 bpd in April, down 24.5 percent from a March average of 1,011 bpd.

Also down steeply was Cook Inlet’s largest field, Hilcorp-operated McArthur River, which averaged 4,562 bpd in April, down 9.9 percent from a March average of 5,063 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Beaver Creek, Cook Inlet’s smallest oil field, averaged 121 bpd in April, down 5.8 percent from a March average of 129 bpd.

Trading Bay, also operated by Hilcorp, averaged 2,221 bpd in April, down 5.1 percent from a March average of 2,341 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Granite Point averaged 2,447 bpd in April, down 3.7 percent from a March average of 2,542 bpd.

Remaining Cook Inlet fields had month-over-month increases.

Hilcorp’s Swanson River averaged 2,331 bpd in April, up 1.9 percent from a March average of 2,288 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Middle Ground Shoal averaged 1,866 bpd in April, up 1.3 percent from a March average of 1,841 bpd. Cook Inlet Energy’s Redoubt Shoal field averaged 648 bpd in April, up 1.3 percent from a March average of 640 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