October ANS production up 4%, 19,494 bpd

Slope crude, NGLs averaged 501,688 bpd, compared to 482,194 bpd in September; Cook Inlet at 11,348 bpd, down 1% from September

Kristen Nelson

Petroleum News

Alaska North Slope production, combined crude oil and natural gas liquids, averaged 501,688 barrels per day in October, up 4%, 19,494 bpd, from a September average of 482,194, but down 1.4% from an October 2019 average of 508,751 bpd.

North Slope crude averaged 448,012 bpd in October, up 4.1%, 17,761 bpd, from a September average of 430,251 bpd but down 2.9% from an October 2019 average of 461,170 bpd.

ANS NGLs averaged 53,676 bpd in October, up 3.3%, 1,733 bpd, from a September average of 51,942 and up 12.8% from an October 2019 average of 47,581.

The ANS crude/NGL split was 89.3%/10.7% this October and 90.7%/9.3% last October.

Production data come from the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission which reports production by field and well on a month delay basis.

The largest month-over-month volume increase was at the ConocoPhillips Alaska-operated Colville River unit, which averaged 50,923 bpd in October, up 22.8%, 9,451, from a September average of 41,473, but down 12.5% from an October 2019 average of 58,189 bpd.

In addition to oil from the main Alpine pool, Colville production includes satellite production from Fiord, Nanuq and Qannik.

Prudhoe

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.

Prudhoe is one of three North Slope fields to produce NGLs.

Crude production at Prudhoe averaged 216,757 bpd in October, up 2.1%, 4,525 bpd, from a September average of 212,232 bpd, and up 3.3% from an October 2019 average of 209,781 bpd. NGLs at Prudhoe averaged 49,331 bpd in October, up 3.9% from a September average of 47,461 bpd and up 10.5% from an October 2019 average of 44,650.

The Prudhoe crude/NGL split was 81.5%/18.5% this October and 82.4%/17.6% last October.

Others with increases

The Point Thomson field, operated by ExxonMobil Production, averaged 9,096 bpd in October, up 21.2%, 1,590 bpd, from a September average of 7,505 and up 89.1% from an October 2019 average of 4,810.

At Badami, operated by Savant Alaska, a Glacier Oil & Gas company, production averaged 1,543 bpd in October, up by that amount from September, when the field was shut-in. Production at Badami was suspended in early May and the field had no production June through September. Volumes were up, by 4.1%, from October 2019 when the field averaged 1,481 bpd.

ConocoPhillips’ Greater Mooses Tooth in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska averaged 3,287 bpd in October, up 79.9%, 1,459 bpd, from a September average of 1,828 bpd, but down 56.1% from an October 2019 average of 7,481 bpd.

Eni’s Oooguruk averaged 7,665 bpd in October, up 34 bpd, less than half a percent, from 7,631 in September but down 7.4% from an October 2019 average of 8,276 bpd.

Month-over-month decreases

In addition to the main Kuparuk pool, Kuparuk produces from satellites at Meltwater, Tabasco and Tarn, and from West Sak.

The Hilcorp-operated Endicott field averaged 6,547 bpd in October, down 6.6%, 460 bpd, from a September average of 7,006 and down 12.4% from an October 2019 average of 7,473 bpd. Endicott produces both crude oil and NGLs and crude from the field averaged 5,713 bpd in October, down 4.3%, 254 bpd, from a September average of 5,967 bpd and down 13% from an October 2019 average of 6,564 bpd. NGL production averaged 833 bpd in October, down 206 bpd, 19.8%, from a September average of 1,039 and down 8.4% from an October 2019 average of 909 bpd. The crude/NGL ratio at Endicott was 87.3%/12.7% this October, little changed from 87.8%/12.2% in October 2019.

Northstar, also operated by Hilcorp, averaged 8,864 bpd of combined crude and NGLs in October, down 1.5%, 132 bpd, from a September average of 8,996 bpd and down 3.4% from an October 2019 average of 9,172 bpd. The field’s crude average was 5,353 bpd in October, down 3.6%, 201 bpd, from a September average of 5,554 bpd and down 25.1% from an October 2019 average of 7,150 bpd. NGL production averaged 3,511 bpd in October, up 2%, 69 bpd, from a September average of 3,442 and up 73.7% from an October 2019 average of 2,022 bpd. The crude/NGL ratio at Northstar was 60.4%/39.6% in October, a substantial change from the 78%/22% ratio in October 2019.

Eni’s Nikaitchuq averaged 16,291 bpd in October, down marginally, 13 bpd, from a September average of 16,304 and down 18.3% from an October 2019 average of 19,946 bpd.

Cook Inlet down 1.1%

Hilcorp’s Beaver Creek averaged 149 bpd, down 18.4%, 34 bpd, from a September average of 183 bpd and down 36.5% from an October 2019 average of 235 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Granite Point averaged 2,977 bpd in October, down 0.9%, 28 bpd, from a September average of 3,005 but up 23.9% from an October 2019 average of 2,403 bpd.

BlueCrest’s Hansen averaged 1,035 bpd, down 0.9%, 10 bpd, from a September average of 1,045 bpd and down 16.9% from an October 2019 average of 1,246 bpd.

Hilcorp’s McArthur River field, Cook Inlet’s largest, averaged 3,892 bpd in October, down 1.1%, 41 bpd, from a September average of 3,933 bpd and down 13% from an October 2019 average of 4,472 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Middle Ground Shoal averaged 1,255 bpd in October, up 8.1%, 102 bpd, from a September average of 1,161 bpd but down 5.3% from an October 2019 average of 1,325 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Swanson River averaged 797 bpd in October, down 4.2%, 36 bpd, from a September average of 833 bpd and down 5.2% from an October 2019 average of 841 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Trading Bay averaged 1,242 bpd in October, down 6.1%, 69 bpd, from a September average of 1,323 bpd and down 13.4% from an October 2019 average of 1,435 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.

Cook Inlet natural gas production up 5%

Data are from the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which reports production on a month-delay basis. For natural gas AOGCC reports measurements in thousands of cubic feet, mcf.

Twenty-two fields in Cook Inlet, 20 currently online, have produced gas in the last year, with eight fields accounting for 86% of gas production, 197,838 mcf per day in October.

Hilcorp’s Kenai gas field produced 44,739 mcf per day in October, 19.4% of total inlet production. The field’s October average was up 12.3%, 4,895 mcf, from a September average of 39,845 mcf and up 30.4% from an October 2019 average of 34,317 mcf.

Hilcorp’s McArthur River averaged 32,412 mcf per day in October, up 10%, 2,954 mcf per day, from a September average of 29,458 mcf per day and up 46.5% from an October 2019 average of 22,119 mcf per day. The field accounted for 14% of inlet production in October.

Ninilchik, another Hilcorp field, accounted for 11.8% of production, averaging 27,250 mcf per day in October, down 6.8%, 1,990 mcf per day from a September average of 29,241 mcf per day, and down 22.5% from an October 2019 average of 35,167 mcf per day.

The Beluga River field, operated by Hilcorp (Chugach Electric Association holds the majority interest in leases at Beluga), accounted for 11.4% of Cook Inlet gas production, averaging 26,222 mcf per day in October, up 20.8%, 4,509 mcf per day, from a September average of 21,713 mcf per day and up 17.3% from an October 2019 average of 22,363 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Swanson River field, 9.8% of production volumes, averaged 22,573 mcf per day in October, down 4.3%, 1,013 mcf per day, from a September average of 23,585 mcf per day and down 42.4% from an October 2019 average of 39,219 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s North Cook Inlet, 7.5% of October production, averaged 17,340 mcf per day, down 3.1%, 551 mcf per day, from a September average of 17,891 mcf per day but up 24.4% from an October 2019 average of 13,940 mcf per day.

Kitchen Lights, operated by HEX’s Furie Operating Alaska, accounted for 6.1% of October production, averaging 14,114 mcf per day, down 4.3%, 635 mcf per day, from a September average of 14,749 mcf per day, and down 12% from an October 2019 average of 16,037 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Beaver Creek, 5.7% of October production, averaged 13,188 mcf per day, down 19.4%, 3,182 mcf per day, from a September average of 16,370 mcf per day but up 88.7% from an October 2019 average of 6,990 mcf per day.

Combined production from the remaining 12 fields producing in October accounted for 14% of Cook Inlet gas volumes.

The AIX-operated Kenai Loop field averaged 5,065 mcf per day in October, up 10%, 461 mcf per day, from a September average of 4,604 mcf per day but down 6.8% from an October 2019 average of 5,433 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Cannery Loop averaged 4,872 mcf per day in October, up 1%, 49 mcf per day, from a September average of 4,823 mcf per day but down 41.1% from an October 2019 average of 8,266 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Ivan River averaged 4,538 mcf per day in October, up 89.4%, 2,142 mcf per day, from a September average of 2,396 mcf per day and up 1,072.8% from an October 2019 average of 387 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Granite Point averaged 3,766 mcf per day, up 2.9%, 105 mcf per day, from a September average of 3,661 mcf per day, and up 43.3% from an October 2019 average of 2,629 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Deep Creek averaged 3,714 mcf per day in October, up 7.5%, 259 mcf per day, from a September average of 3,455 mcf per day but down 17% from an October 2019 average of 4,472 mcf per day.

The North Fork field, acquired by Gardes Holdings in September, averaged 3,216 mcf per day in October, down 2.4%, 80 mcf per day, from a September average of 3,296 mcf per day and down 14.3% from an October 2019 average of 3,752 mcf per day.

BlueCrest’s Hansen field averaged 2,871 mcf per day, down 5.9%, 181 mcf per day, from a September average of 3,052 mcf per day and down 46.5% from an October 2019 average of 5,365 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Trading Bay averaged 2,475 mcf per day in October, up 0.8%, 19 mcf per day, from a September average of 2,456 mcf per day, but down 19.9% from an October 2019 average of 3,088 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Nikolaevsk averaged 362 mcf per day in October, down 2.6%, 10 mcf per day, from a September average of 372 mcf per day and down 22.3% from an October 2019 average of 466 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Middle Ground Shoal averaged 263 mcf per day in October, up 13%, 30 mcf per day, from a September average of 233 mcf per day but down 12.1% from an October 2019 average of 299 mcf per day.

Amaroq’s Nicolai Creek averaged 251 mcf per day in October, down 5.5%, 15 mcf per day, from a September average of 266 mcf per day; AOGCC records show no production from the field in October 2019.

Cook Inlet natural gas production peaked in the mid-1990s at more than 850,000 mcf per day.

—KRISTEN NELSON

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