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May ANS production down half a percent, led by 3% drop at Kuparuk
Kristen Nelson PNA editor-in-chief
Alaska North Slope crude oil production for May was down 0.55 percent from April, averaging 1,018,802 barrels per day, compared to 1,024,407 bpd in April, a drop of 5,605 bpd from the May average.
The steepest drop in production, 3.2 percent, was at the Kuparuk River field (which includes West Sak, Tabasco, Tarn and Meltwater) which averaged 209,288 bpd in May compared to 216,164 bpd in April, an average daily decline of 6,876 barrels.
Dawn Patience, spokeswoman for Kuparuk-operator Phillips Alaska Inc., said the drop in production was a combination of warmer than normal temperatures — 4 degrees Fahrenheit higher than normal — and planned and unplanned maintenance. The warmer temperature was the bigger factor, Patience said: Warmer weather reduces gas handling capacity. Lisburne, Alpine production up Lisburne (which includes Point McIntyre, Niakuk, West Beach and North Prudhoe Bay State) had the largest increase in production, averaging 71,228 bpd in May, up 5 percent from an average of 67,859 bpd in April, a gain averaging 3,369 bpd.
Alpine production (which includes Nanuq) was also up, averaging 96,628 bpd in May, up 2.9 percent from 93,887 bpd in April, an average daily increase of 2,741 barrels.
Production at all other fields was down, reflecting, as at Kuparuk, the warmer temperatures. The Department of Revenue also said scheduled summer maintenance has begun, with some work done the first week of May at Prudhoe Bay. Northstar production down Northstar production was down 4.1 percent, with average production of 34,949 bpd in May compared to 36,453 bpd in April, a decrease averaging 1,504 bpd.
Endicott production (which includes Sag River, Eider and Badami) averaged 31,868 bpd in May, down 4.1 percent from an April average of 33,230 bpd, an average daily decline of 1,362 barrels.
Production from Milne Point (which includes Schrader Bluff and Sag River) was down 0.8 percent, averaging 50,733 bpd compared to 51,160 bpd in April, a drop of 427 bpd.
Prudhoe Bay production (includes Midnight Sun, Aurora, Polaris and Borealis) was down 0.3 percent, averaging 524,108 bpd compared to an April average of 525,654 bpd, a drop of 1,548 bpd.
Prudhoe Bay natural gas liquids production averaged 44,363 bpd in May, up 1.1 percent from an April average of 43,904 bpd, a gain of 459 bpd.
Cook Inlet production averaged 33,788 bpd, down 2.1 percent from an April average of 34,519 bpd, a drop of 731 bpd.
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