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June ANS production down 6.9% from May Major maintenance shutdown in trans-Alaska oil pipeline slows volumes mid-month; May Cook Inlet production down 3% from April KRISTEN NELSON Petroleum News
Alaska North Slope crude oil production averaged 463,289 barrels per day in June, down 6.9 percent from a May average of 497,673 bpd, a drop driven by scheduled summer maintenance at North Slope fields and on the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, which had a 36-hour planned maintenance shutdown June 12-13.
The largest month-over-month decline was at the BP Exploration (Alaska)-operated Prudhoe Bay field, the Slope’s largest, where June production averaged 255,399 bpd, down 10.1 percent from a May average of 284,034 bpd.
Prudhoe Bay production includes satellite production at Aurora, Borealis, Midnight Sun, Orion, Polaris, Sag River and Schrader Bluff, as well as from the Hilcorp Alaska-operated Milne Point and Northstar fields.
Information for June comes from the Alaska Department of Revenue’s Tax Division which reports North Slope oil production consolidated by major production centers and provides daily production and monthly averages. More detailed data, including Cook Inlet and individual North Slope fields and pools, is reported by the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission on a month-delay basis.
AOGCC data for May show an average of 17,963 bpd at Milne Point, down 8.2 percent from an April average of 19,565 bpd, and 6,186 bpd at Northstar, down 9.9 percent from an April average of 6,866.
The ConocoPhillips Alaska-operated Kuparuk River field, second largest on the Slope, also had a month-over-month decline, averaging 131,812 bpd on June, down 4.5 percent from a May average of 137,959 bpd.
Kuparuk includes satellite production from Meltwater, Northeast West Sak, Tabasco, Tarn and West Sak, as well as from the Eni-operated Nikaitchuq field and the Caelus Alaska-operated Oooguruk field.
AOGCC data for May show Nikaitchuq averaged 22,210 bpd, down 8 percent from an April average of 24,151 bpd, while Oooguruk averaged 14,530 bpd, down 6.7 percent from an April average of 15,566 bpd.
The BP-operated Lisburne field, part of Greater Prudhoe Bay, averaged 19,788 bpd in June, down 9.4 percent from a May average of 21,844 bpd. Lisburne includes production from Niakuk, Point McIntyre and Raven.
Endicott, Alpine up
The Hilcorp-operated Endicott field averaged 8,602 bpd in June, up 18.5 percent from a May average of 7,261 bpd. Endicott includes satellite production from Eider, Minke and Sag Delta, as well as production from the Savant Alaska-operated Badami field, the farthest east production on the North Slope. AOGCC data shows Badami averaged 851 bpd in May, down 9.4 percent from an April average of 939 bpd.
The ConocoPhillips-operated Alpine field averaged 47,688 bpd in June, up 2.4 percent from a May average of 46,575 bpd. Alpine includes satellite production from Fiord, Nanuq and Qannik.
Cook Inlet down 3 percent AOGCC data show Cook Inlet crude oil production averaged 18,492 bpd in May, down 3.1 percent from an April average of 19,080 bpd.
The largest month-over-month increase was at the Cook Inlet Energy-operated West McArthur River field, which averaged 1,449 bpd in May, up 11.9 percent from an April average of 1,295 bpd.
The only other Cook Inlet field with a month-over-month increase was the Hilcorp Alaska-operated Beaver Creek field, the smallest in Cook Inlet, which averaged 124 bpd in May, up 5.4 percent from an April average of 118 bpd.
The largest percent drop was at the Cook Inlet Energy-operated Redoubt field, which averaged 903 bpd in May, down 17 percent from 1,087 bpd in April.
The largest per-barrel drop was at the Hilcorp Alaska-operated Granite Point field, which averaged 2,346 bpd in May, down 8.8 percent, 227 barrels, from an April average of 2,573 bpd.
The XTO-operated Middle Ground Shoal field, which Hilcorp is in the process of acquiring (see story on page 1), averaged 1,878 bpd in May, down 6.3 percent from an April average of 2,005 bpd.
The Hilcorp-operated McArthur River field, Cook Inlet’s largest, averaged 5,875 bpd in May, down 3 percent from an April average of 6,057 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Swanson River field averaged 2,533 bpd in May, down 0.8 percent from an April average of 2,554 bpd, and Hilcorp’s Trading Bay field averaged 3,385 bpd in May, down 0.2 percent from an April average of 3,392 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.
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