|
Oil patch insider: New North Slope units map issued, COP ANS layoffs show industry trends
Kay Cashman Petroleum News
On Dec. 12, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources' Division of Oil and Gas released on its website the latest North Slope oil and gas units map, dated Decem-ber 2025.
The information displayed in the map is for graphic illustration only. Discrepancies in boundaries, pipeline alignment, or infrastructure are the result of merging data sets from multiple sources.
(See map in the online issue PDF)
The units are clearly marked as State Unit, State/Federal Unit, State/Native Unit, State/Federal/Native Unit and Federal Unit.
The units are also distinguished as producing or non-producing.
The Trans Alaska Pipeline System is also shown on the map, as are highways and large bodies of water.
The following units are outlined on the map: Duck Island, Liberty, Oooguruk, Point Thomson, Northstar, Nikaitchuq, Badami, Colville River, Greater Mooses Tooth, Umiat, Alkaid, Talitha, Horseshoe, Quokka, Prudhoe Bay, Toolik River, Bear Tooth, Grey Owl, Smith Bay, Pikka, Kuparuk River, Narwhal, Milne Point, Greater Point Thomson, and Southern Miluveach.
ConocoPhillips North Slope layoffs On Aug. 12 Augusta McDonnell of KTUU released an article titled - ConocoPhillips North Slope layoffs reflect industry trends, economist says; UAA professor says workforce reductions typical when oil prices decline.-
According to the piece ConocoPhillips- recent layoffs of about 12.5% of its North Slope workforce reflect typical industry responses to declining oil prices, per Uni-versity of Alaska Anchorage economist.
Brett Watson, an associate professor and natural resource economist at UAA.
- This is a move that- s fairly typical of energy companies when they see decreases in prices,- Watson said. - Oil prices have been low now for about the last year and declining.-
Watson told KTUU that many international and U.S.-based agencies anticipate fur-ther declines in oil prices over the next year. He said companies in volatile indus-tries like oil and gas typically make workforce reductions when commodity prices fall.
Watson said oil and gas jobs in Alaska largely track oil prices. As prices rose from 2014 to 2015, industry jobs increased. When prices fell from 2015 to 2018, the in-dustry contracted considerably.
- Prices started to recover. Industry jobs started to recover,- Watson said. - But then the pandemic hit.-
The industry faces headwinds from lower prices driven by increased OPEC pro-duction and potential peace talks regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Watson said. U.S. production continues to run high, adding to global oil supply.
Furthermore, Watson said Alaska- s economy has performed better than the rest of the country over the past year. The state has a slightly lower unemployment rate and a more robust employment picture.
- If you had to pick a state to be unemployed in, you- d rather be in Alaska today than in a typical state elsewhere in the country,- Watson said.
Check out the KTUU piece at https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2025/12/13/conocophillips
-Oil Patch Insider is compiled by Kay Cashman
| 