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July ANS production down 6.5% from June Biggest driver scheduled summer maintenance at Conoco’s Alpine, Kuparuk River fields; June Cook Inlet production down 3.2% from May KRISTEN NELSON Petroleum News
Alaska North Slope crude oil production averaged 459,327 barrels per day in July, down 6.53 percent from a June average of 491,419 bpd, a drop driven primarily by scheduled maintenance. The largest month-over-month drop was at the ConocoPhillips Alaska-operated Alpine field, which averaged 36,748 bpd in July, down 41 percent from a June average of 62,301 bpd, a drop of more than 25,500 bpd. The Alpine field was down completely for maintenance from July 22 through the end of the month and was still down in early August when this issue of Petroleum News went to press.
ConocoPhillips told Petroleum News in late June that a maintenance shutdown at Alpine was scheduled for late July and would last about three weeks.
Alpine production includes satellites at Fiord, Nanuq and Qannik.
July production information 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.
Kuparuk down on maintenance The ConocoPhillips-operated Kuparuk River field averaged 130,745 bpd in July, down 7.1 percent, more than 10,000 bpd, from a June average of 140,780 bpd. Kuparuk also had scheduled maintenance this summer, at Central Processing Facility 1, scheduled to start in late June and last some three weeks. Kuparuk went from some 150,000 bpd in early June to less than 42,000 bpd June 26, dropped to the 75,000 bpd range for three days in early July and had reached 156,325 bpd July 31.
Kuparuk production includes satellites at Meltwater, Tabasco, Tarn and West Sak, as well as production from the Eni-operated Nikaitchuq field and the Caelus Alaska-operated Oooguruk field.
AOGCC data show Nikaitchuq averaged 24,586 bpd in June, down 1.1 percent from a May average of 24,852 bpd, while Oooguruk averaged 16,403 bpd in June, up 5.1 percent from a May average of 15,611 bpd.
Endicott also down Also showing a month-over-month production decline was the Hilcorp Alaska-operated Endicott field, which averaged 8,586 bpd in July, down 10.2 percent from a June average of 9,562 bpd.
Endicott includes satellite production from Eider, Minke and Sag Delta, as well as production from the Savant Alaska-operated Badami field and the ExxonMobil-operated Point Thomson field.
AOGCC data show Badami averaged 976 bpd in June, down 4.5 percent from a May average of 1,022 bpd, while Point Thomson averaged 709 bpd in June up 178 percent from a May average of 255 bpd.
Production began at Point Thomson April 2 and ExxonMobil said in July that it is working toward final commissioning of the gas injection compressor system. Production volumes will fluctuate as final equipment commissioning continues and the company expects to be producing at the 10,000 bpd target rate once final commissioning is complete.
Prudhoe up, Lisburne down The BP Exploration (Alaska)-operated Prudhoe Bay field, the North Slope’s largest, averaged 260,447 bpd in July, up 2 percent, more than 5,000 bpd, from a June average of 255,333 bpd. Prudhoe had scheduled maintenance earlier in the summer, a turnaround at the seawater treatment plant which began in June.
Prudhoe volumes include satellites at Aurora, Borealis, Midnight Sun, Orion, Polaris, Sag River, Schrader Bluff and Ugnu, as well as production from the Hilcorp Alaska-operated Milne Point and Northstar fields.
AOGCC data show that Milne Point averaged 18,861 bpd in June, down 2.9 percent from a May average of 19,420 bpd, while Northstar averaged 5,193 bpd in June, down 1.9 percent from a May average of 5,294 bpd.
Production at BP-operated Lisburne, part of greater Prudhoe Bay, averaged 22,801 bpd in July, down 2.7 percent from a June average of 23,443 bpd. Lisburne volumes include production from Point McIntyre, Niakuk and Raven.
Cook Inlet down 3.2% AOGCC data show production from Cook Inlet in Southcentral Alaska averaged 14,900 bpd in June, down 3.2 percent from a May average of 15,399 bpd.
Hilcorp-operated Beaver Creek, Cook Inlet’s smallest producing oil field, averaged 120 bpd in June, down 5.2 percent from a May average of 126 bpd.
Granite Point, also operated by Hilcorp, averaged 2,474 bpd in June, down 4.1 percent from a May average of 2,580 bpd.
Hansen, the Cosmopolitan project, operated by BlueCrest, averaged 145 bpd in June, down 44.2 percent from a May average of 261 bpd.
Hilcorp’s McArthur River field, Cook Inlet’s largest, averaged 4,348 bpd in June, down 7.7 percent from a May average of 4,710 bpd.
Middle Ground Shoal, also operated by Hilcorp, averaged 1,902 bpd in June, up 0.5 percent from a May average of 1,894 bpd.
Redoubt Shoal, operated by Cook Inlet Energy, averaged 496 bpd in June, up 44.3 percent from a May average of 343 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Swanson River field averaged 2,021 bpd in June, down 7.4 percent from a May average of 2,182 bpd.
Trading Bay, also operated by Hilcorp, averaged 2,260 bpd in June, down 0.5 percent from a May average of 2,271 bpd.
Cook Inlet Energy’s West McArthur River field averaged 1,134 bpd in June, up 9.8 percent from a May average of 1,032 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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