May ANS production down 0.6% from April

Kristen Nelson

Petroleum News

Alaska North Slope production averaged 487,672 barrels per day in May, down 0.58%, 2,853 bpd, from an April average of 490,525 bpd, but up 12.4% from a May 2020 average of 433,840 bpd.

The year-over-year increase reflects a return to normal activity from last year’s COVID-19-related production decline.

The ANS volumes include an average of 434,569 bpd of crude, 89.1% of the total, and 53,102 bpd of natural gas liquids, 10.9% of the total volume. The crude average is down 0.6%, 2,567 bpd, from an April average of 437,136 bpd, and a 10.7% increase from a May 2020 average of 392,557 bpd, when crude represented 90.5% of total volume. The NGL volume reflects a drop of 0.5%, 287 bpd, from an April average of 53,389 bpd and a 28.6% increase from a May 2020 average of 41,283 bpd, 9.5% of total volume.

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

Prudhoe down 2.6%

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.

The ConocoPhillips Alaska-operated Kuparuk River field, the Slope’s second largest, was also down month-over-month in May, averaging 90,855 bpd, down 834 bpd, 0.9%, from an April average of 91,690 bpd and up 38.5% from a May 2020 average of 65,607 bpd.

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

Hilcorp Alaska’s Northstar field averaged 8,300 bpd in May, down 732 bpd, 8.1%, from an April average of 9,032 bpd and up 0.7% from a May 2020 average of 8,246 bpd. Northstar averaged 4,921 bpd of crude, 59.3% of the field’s production, down 358 bpd, 6.8%, from an April average of 5,279 bpd and down 19.7% from a May 2020 average of 6,129 bpd, when crude represented 74.3% of the field’s production. NGLs averaged 3,379 bpd, 40.7% of production, down 374 bpd, 10%, from an April average of 3,753 bpd and up 59.6% from a May 2020 average of 2,117 bpd, 25.7% of Northstar production in that month.

The Badami field, operated by Savant Alaska, a Glacier Oil & Gas company, averaged 1,143 bpd in May, down 164 bpd, 12.5%, from an April average of 1,307 bpd and up 3,951% from a May 2020 average of 28 bpd.

ConocoPhillips’ Greater Mooses Tooth in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska averaged 2,449 bpd in May, down 157 bpd, 6%, from an April average of 2,606 bpd and down 44.8% from a May 2020 average of 4,433 bpd.

The Hilcorp-operated Endicott field averaged 6,542 bpd in May, down 64 bpd, 1%, from an April average of 6,606 bpd and down 0.5% from a May 2020 average of 6,574 bpd. Crude oil represented 86.9% of Endicott production, 5,685 bpd in May, down 141 bpd, 2.7%, from an April average of 5,826 bpd and down 1.3% from a May 2020 average of 5,760, when crude represented 87.6% of the field’s production. NGL volumes averaged 857 bpd in May, 13.1% of Endicott production, up 77 bpd, 9.9%, from an April average of 780 bpd and up 5.2% from a May 2020 average of 816 bpd, 12.4% of Endicott production in that month.

Point Thomson up 17.3%

Eni’s Oooguruk field averaged 6,856 bpd in May, up 831 bpd, 13.8%, from an April average of 6,026 bpd and up 8.3% from a May 2020 average of 6,331 bpd.

Eni’s Nikaitchuq field averaged 17,250 bpd in May, up 1,229 bpd, 7.7%, from an April average of 16,021 bpd and down 4.9% from a May 2020 average of 18,144 bpd.

Hilcorp Alaska’s Milne Point field averaged 36,637 bpd in May, up 1,941 bpd, 5.6%, from an April average of 34,696 bpd and up 13% from a May 2020 average of 32,436 bpd.

ConocoPhillips’ Colville River averaged 46,838 bpd in May, up 1.8%, 806 bpd, from an April average of 46,032 and up 26.3% from a May 2020 average of 37,090 bpd. In addition to oil from the main Alpine pool, Colville production includes satellite production from Nanuq and Qannik.

Cook Inlet down 5%

Hilcorp’s Beaver Creek averaged 202 bpd in May, down 6%, 13 bpd, from an April average of 215 bpd and up 37% from a May 2020 average of 147 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Granite Pint averaged 2,664 bpd in May, down 45 bpd, 1.7%, from an April average of 2,709 bpd and down 14% from a May 2020 average of 3,096 bpd.

BlueCrest’s Hansen field averaged 928 bpd in May, down 16 bpd, 1.7%, from an April average of 944 bpd and down 5.1% from a May 2020 average of 977 bpd.

Hilcorp’s McArthur River, Cook Inlet’s largest field, averaged 3,079 bpd in May, down 10.4%, 356 bpd, from an April average of 3,435 bpd and down 14.8% from a May 2020 average of 3,611 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Middle Ground Shoal, shut-in since a leak in a fuel gas line discovered April 1, showed 13 bpd of crude production in May, down 51 bpd, 79.7%, from an April average of 64 bpd, and down 99% from a May 2020 average of 1,266 bpd. Hilcorp has applied to the Alaska Division of Oil and Gas to suspend operations at the field until the pipeline issue is resolved.

Hilcorp’s Swanson River averaged 909 bpd (crude and NGLs) in May, down 71 bpd, 7.2%, from an April average of 979 bpd and up 2.9% from a May 2020 average of 883 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Trading Bay averaged 1,063 bpd in May, down 15 bpd, 1.4%, from an April average of 1,078 bpd and down 8.2% from a May 2020 average of 1,158 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 gas production down marginally

This data is 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.

The inlet’s nine largest fields accounted for 87.1% of natural gas production in May, down slightly from 87.8% in April but up from 81% in May 2020.

Hilcorp’s Kenai field averaged 42,453 mcf per day in May, 19.3% of inlet production, down 5,501 mcf per day, 11.5%, from an April average of 47,954 mcf per day and up 30.7% from a May 2020 average of 32,489 mcf per day (16.4% of inlet production in that month).

Hilcorp’s Ninilchik averaged 29,595 mcf per day in May, 13.5% of inlet production, up 938 mcf per day, 3.3%, from an April average of 28,658 mcf per day and down 2% from a May 2020 average of 30,207 mcf per day (15% of inlet production in that month).

Hilcorp’s McArthur River averaged 25,781 mcf per day in May, 11.7% of inlet production, down 600 mcf per day, 2.3%, from an April average of 26,380 and up 8.9% from a May 2020 average of 23,684 mcf per day (11.9% of inlet production in that month).

The Hilcorp-operated Beluga River field averaged 21,158 mcf per day in May, 9.6% of inlet production, up 178 mcf per day, 0.9%, from an April average of 20,980 mcf per day, and up 19.6% from a May 2020 average of 17,692 (8.9% of inlet production in that month).

Hilcorp’s Swanson River averaged 20,916 mcf per day in May, 9.5% of inlet production, up 1,953 mcf per day, 10.3%, from an April average of 18,963 mcf per day, and down 29.1% from a May 2020 average of 29,516 mcf (14.9% of inlet production in that month).

Furie’s Kitchen Lights averaged 16,294 mcf per day in May, 7.4% of inlet production, up 873 mcf per day, 5.7%, from an April average of 15,421 mcf per day and up 18.8% from a May 2020 average of 13,715 mcf (6.9% of inlet production in that month).

Hilcorp’s North Cook Inlet averaged 15,086 mcf per day in May, 6.9% of inlet production, up 1,153 mcf per day, 8.3%, from an April average of 13,933 mcf per day and up 15.1% from a May 2020 average of 13,110 mcf per day (6.6% of inlet production in that month).

Hilcorp’s Ivan River averaged 10,182 mcf per day in May, 4.6% of inlet production, down 273 mcf per day, 2.6%, from an April average of 10,455 mcf per day and up 3,063.9% from a May 2020 average of 322 mcf per day (0.2% of inlet production in that month).

Hilcorp’s Beaver Creek averaged 9,975 mcf per day in May, 4.5% of inlet production, down 1,189 mcf per day, 10.7%, from an April average of 11,164 mcf per day and down 1.3% from a May 2020 average of 10,104 mcf (5.1% of inlet production in that month).

Combined, the smaller Cook Inlet gas fields account for some 13% of inlet production.

Hilcorp’s Cannery Loop averaged 5,568 mcf per day in May, up 13.1%, 646 mcf per day, from an April average of 4,923 mcf per day and up 6.6% from a May 2020 average of 5,223 mcf per day.

AIX’s Kenai Loop averaged 4,816 mcf per day in May, down 17 mcf per day, 0.4%, from an April average of 4,834 mcf per day and up 10.4% from a May 2020 average of 4,362 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Deep Creek averaged 4,242 mcf per day in May, down 80 mcf per day, 1.9%, from an April average of 4,322 mcf per day and up 6.6% from a May 2020 average of 3,980 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Granite Point averaged 3,558 mcf per day in May, down 86 mcf per day, 2.4%, from an April average of 3,644 mcf per day and down 0.2% from a May 2020 average of 3,566 mcf per day.

Vision Operating’s North Fork field averaged 3,264 mcf per day in May, up 6.1%, 187 mcf per day, from an April average of 3,077 mcf per day and down 6% from a May 2020 average of 3,472 mcf per day.

BlueCrest’s Hansen field averaged 3,161 mcf per day in May, up 607 mcf per day, 23.8%, from an April average of 2,554 mcf per day and up 13.7% from a May 2020 average of 2,780 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Trading Bay averaged 2,198 mcf per day in May, up 110 mcf per day, 5.3%, from an April average of 2,088 mcf per day and up 0.3% from a May 2020 average of 2,191 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Lewis River averaged 1,092 mcf per day in May, down 19 mcf per day, 1.7%, from an April average of 1,111 mcf per day and up 0.8% from a May 2020 average of 1,083 mcf per day.

Amaroq’s Nicolai Creek averaged 425 mcf per day in May, up 70 mcf per day, 19.8%, from an April average of 355 mcf per day and up 94% from a May 2020 average of 219 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Nikolaevsk averaged 147 mcf per day in May, up marginally from an April average of 145 mcf per day and down 29.1% from a May 2020 average of 208 mcf per day.

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

—KRISTEN NELSON

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