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ANS production down 3 percent from December Production from all North Slope fields down; Cook Inlet up 8% Kristen Nelson PNA Editor-in-Chief
January Alaska North Slope crude oil production was off 2.88 percent from December production, averaging 1,004,054 barrels per day compared to a December average of 1,033,814 bpd. January to December production dropped at all North Slope fields, from less than 1 percent at Lisburne to more than 11 percent at Northstar.
The opposite was true in Southcentral Alaska, where overall Cook Inlet January production — driven by Forest Oil Corp.'s new Redoubt Shoal production — was up 7.84 percent from December.
The Department of Revenue noted several reasons for reduced North Slope production: Milne Point had a turbine problem early in the month, with production (which averaged 52,732 bpd in December) dropping as low as 36,018 bpd before ramping back up into the 50,000-bpd range on the 10th. Alpine production was down Jan. 8 due to a prover meter malfunction (dropping out of the 100,000-bpd range to 72,409 bpd). Badami production was down the week of Jan. 13 in preparation for introduction of a smart pig later in the year; and Northstar output was at zero Jan. 9-13 for compressor seal replacement.
Northstar had the largest percentage drop in production, down 11.53 percent to an average of 48,835 bpd, a drop of 6,364 bpd from 55,199 bpd in December. Production, which had been running in the 56,000-58,000 bpd range, dropped to 4,714 bpd on Jan. 8 and averaged only 6,018 bpd on the 14th as ramp up began. Daily peak production at the field was 72,635 bpd on the 24th.
Milne Point (which includes Schrader Bluff and Sag River production) had the second highest percentage drop, down 7.19 percent, averaging 48,941 bpd down 3,791 bpd from a December average of 52,732 bpd.
Endicott (which includes Sag River, Eider and Badami production) was down 5.46 percent, averaging 28,128 bpd after a December average of 29,751 bpd, an average drop of 1,623 bpd.
Alpine production averaged 99,786 bpd in January, down 2.94 percent (3,027 bpd) from a December average of 102,813 bpd. Kuparuk River production (which includes West Sak, Tabasco, Tarn and Meltwater) averaged 215,164 bpd, down 2.55 percent (5,627 bpd) from a December average of 220,791 bpd. Prudhoe Bay production (including Midnight Sun, Aurora, Polaris and Borealis) averaged 494,893 bpd in January, down 1.75 percent (8,800 bpd) from a December average of 503,693 bpd. Lisburne (including Point McIntyre, Niakuk, West Beach and North Prudhoe Bay) averaged 68,307 bpd in January, down 0.77 percent (528 bpd) from a December average of 68,835 bpd.
Prudhoe Bay natural gas liquids production averaged 46,388 bpd in January, down 1.44 percent (677 bpd) from a December average of 47,065 bpd. The average January temperature at Pump Station No. 1 was -7.5 degrees Fahrenheit, compared to a December average of -1.5 degrees F. Cook Inlet production up Contrary to the production decline on the North Slope, production from Cook Inlet increased 7.84 percent, driven by Forest Oil Corp.'s new production from its Redoubt Shoal field, which came online in November. The Department of Revenue does not report Cook Inlet production by field, but Gary Carlson, Forest Oil's senior vice president, told PNA in January that the company can process 3,000 bpd from Redoubt through its West McArthur River unit facilities. Production will increase once the company's dedicated Redoubt Shoal facilities at Kustatan come online early this year.
January Cook Inlet production averaged 32,285 bpd, up from 29,937 bpd in December, an increase of 2,348 bpd.
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