|
ANS Sept. production up 19% from August
Average is 475,648 bpd in September, as North Slope operators complete planned summer maintenance; Cook Inlet production down 1% Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
Alaska North Slope production averaged 475,678 barrels per day in September, up 19.3%, 76,798 bpd, from an August average of 398,850 bpd, but down 5.6% from a September 2018 average of 503,996 bpd. With the end of the summer season, most North Slope fields move from planned summer maintenance back into regular production, with a typical seasonal uptick in production.
The September volumes include 435,878 bpd of crude oil, up 18.3%, 67,491 bpd, from an August average of 368,387 bpd, and 39,770 bpd of natural gas liquids, up 30.6%, 9,307 bpd, from an August average of 30,463 bpd. Both volumes are down from September 2018, a drop of 4.6% for crude oil from 456,655 bpd and a drop of 16% for NGLs from 47,342 bpd.
Production data reported here is from the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which provides volumes by field and well on a month delay basis.
Milne up 182% The largest month-over-month percentage increase was at the Hilcorp Alaska operated Milne Point field, which averaged 31,192 bpd in September, up 181.9% from an August average of 11,066, 20,126 bpd, and also up, by 46.5%, from a September 2018 average of 21,295 bpd. The new Moose Pad at Milne, which Hilcorp brought online in early April, accounted for 8,253 bpd of the field’s September volume, 26%. There were two wells at the new pad in April; there are currently eight, seven of which were producing in September.
The largest month-over-month per barrel increase was at the BP Exploration (Alaska) operated Prudhoe Bay field, the Slope’s largest, which averaged 222,911 bpd (185,163 bpd of crude and 37,749 bpd of NGLs), up 20.2%, 37,478 bpd (28,245 bpd of crude and 9,233 bpd of NGLs) from an August average of 185,433 bpd (156,917 bpd of crude and 28,516 bpd of NGLs), but down 14.7% from a September 2018 average of 261,301 bpd (216,539 bpd of crude and 44,761 bpd of NGLs).
In addition to the primary reservoir, production volumes from Prudhoe include Aurora, Borealis, Lisburne, Midnight Sun, Niakuk, Polaris, Point McIntyre, Put River, Raven and Schrader Bluff.
Colville, Kuparuk up The ConocoPhillips Alaska operated Colville River and Kuparuk River fields both had substantial month-over-month production increases.
Colville averaged 54,271 bpd in September, up 16.7%, 7,767 bpd, from an August average of 46,504 bpd, but down 19.7% from a September 2018 average of 67,565 bpd.
In addition to oil from the main Alpine pool, Colville production includes satellite production from Fiord, Nanuq and Qannik.
Kuparuk, the Slope’s second largest field, averaged 109,628 bpd in September, up 6.4%, 6,612 bpd, from an August average of 103,016, and also up, by 2.4%, from a September 2018 average of 107,076 bpd.
In addition to the main Kuparuk pool, Kuparuk produces from satellites at Meltwater, Tabasco and Tarn, and from West Sak.
Other increases Several other North Slope fields also had month over month increases.
Eni’s Oooguruk field averaged 9,379 bpd in September, up 3,461 bpd, 58.5%, from an August average of 5,918 bpd, but down 9.6% from a September 2018 average of 10,376 bpd.
Eni’s Nikaitchuq averaged 20,652 bpd in September, up 15.5%, 2,768 bpd, from an August average of 17,884, and up 27.1% from a September 2018 average of 16,253 bpd.
The Hilcorp operated Northstar field averaged 9,035 bpd in September, 7,452 bpd of crude and 1,583 bpd of NGLs, up 2,408 bpd, 36.3% (1,860 bpd of crude and 548 bpd of NGLs) from an August average of 6,627 bpd (5,592 bpd of crude and 1,035 bpd of NGLs), but down 16.8% from a September 2018 average of 10,862 bpd (9,022 bpd of crude and 1,840 bpd of NGLs).
The ExxonMobil Production Co. operated Point Thomson field, which has had mechanical ups and downs since it came online in April 2016, averaged 5,038 bpd in September, up 50.6%, 1,693 bpd, from an August average of 3,345 bpd and up 5,317.2% from a September 2018 average of 94 bpd (the field was down for maintenance from July through August of 2018).
Month over month declines Other North Slope fields had month over month production declines, with the biggest drop at Hilcorp operated Endicott, which averaged 4,742 bpd in September (4,304 bpd of crude and 438 bpd of NGLs), down 37.6%, 2,861 bpd, from an August average of 7,602 bpd (6,691 bpd of crude and 911 bpd of NGLs), and down 35.3% from a September 2018 average of 7,331 bpd (6,590 bpd of crude and 740 bpd of NGLs).
The Slope’s newest field, ConocoPhillips Alaska’s Greater Mooses Tooth in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, which had its first production in October 2018, averaged 7,316 bpd in September from Greater Mooses Tooth 1, down 26.4%, 2,620 bpd, from an August average of 9,936 bpd. The field, producing from three wells, had peak production in the first quarter of more than 12,000 bpd. In a July analysts call ConocoPhillips acknowledged that GMT-1 was underperforming. AOGCC data for September show two producers online the full month and a third only online for 15 days. One of those producers accounted for 80% of GMT-1 production, the second 17%, with only 3% coming from the well online for half of the month.
Badami, operated by Savant Alaska, part of Glacier Oil & Gas, averaged 1,484 bpd, down 2.3%, 34 bpd, from an August average of 1,518 bpd and down 17.5% from a September 2018 average of 1,799 bpd.
Cook Inlet down 1% Production from Cook Inlet in Southcentral Alaska averaged 13,515 bpd in September, down 0.8%, 114 bpd, from an August average of 13,628 bpd, and down 8.6% from a September 2018 average of 14,777 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Beaver Creek averaged 224 bpd in September, down 38.1%, 138 bpd, from an August average of 362 bpd, but up 200.1% from a September 2018 average of 75 bpd. The company did a redrill late last year, and production peaked in November at 904 bpd. Production since then has varied between one and two wells, with just the redrill producing in September.
Hilcorp’s Granite Point averaged 2,271 bpd in September, down 16%, 432 bpd, from an August average of 2,703 and down 17.2% from a September 2018 average of 2,763 bpd.
BlueCrest’s Hansen field, the Cosmopolitan project, averaged 1,261 bpd in September, up 2.5%, 31 bpd, from an August average of 1,230 bpd, and up 5.4% from a September 2018 average of 1,197 bod.
Hilcorp’s McArthur River, Cook Inlet’s largest field, averaged 4,321 bpd in September, down 1.7%, 73 bpd, from an August average of 4,394 bpd and down 7.5% from a September 2018 average of 4,671 bpd.
Middle Ground Shoal, another Hilcorp field, averaged 1,358 bpd in September, down 1.5%, 21 bpd, from an August average of 1,379 bpd and down 9.1% from a September 2018 average of 1,494 bpd.
Redoubt Shoal, operated by Cook Inlet Energy, a Glacier Oil & Gas company, averaged 1,435 bpd, up 54.1%, 504 bpd, from an August average of 932 bpd and up 19.6% from a September 2018 average of 1,201 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Swanson River averaged 838 bpd in September, down 13.3%, 129 bpd, from an August average of 966 bpd and down 31.4% from a September 2018 average of 1,221 bpd.
Trading Bay, also operated by Hilcorp, averaged 1,296 bpd in September, down 6%, 83 bpd, from an August average of 1,379 bpd and down 6.6% from a September 2018 average of 1,388 bpd.
West McArthur River, operated by Glacier Oil and Gas’ Cook Inlet Energy, averaged 510 bpd in September, up 79.8%, 226 bpd, from an August average of 284 but down 33.7% from a September 2018 average of 769 bpd. The field produces from four wells, down from six a year ago.
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.
|
