Sidebar: Cook Inlet gas production down 1.4%

Kristen Nelson

Petroleum News

Natural gas production in Cook Inlet averaged 227,036 thousand cubic feet in November, down 3,253 mcf, 1.4%, from an October average of 230,289 mcf, but up 4.6% from a November 2019 average of 217,128 mcf per day.

Eighty-six percent of production comes from the inlet’s eight largest fields.

The largest, Hilcorp’s Kenai gas field, accounted for just over 20% of November production, with an average of 45,937 mcf per day, up 2.7%, 1,197 mcf, from an October average of 44,739 mcf per day and up 39.5% from a November 2019 average of 32,923 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s McArthur River field, the inlet’s largest oil producer, averaged 31,293 mcf of natural gas per day in November, down 3.4%, 1,119 mcf, from an October average of 32,412 mcf per day but up 39.6% from a November 2019 average of 22,412 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Ninilchik averaged 29,791 mcf per day in November, up 9.3%, 2,541 mcf, from an October average of 27,250 mcf per day, but down 12.7% from a November 2019 average of 34,122 mcf per day.

The Beluga River field, operated by Hilcorp, averaged 24,188 mcf per day in November, down 7.8%, 2,034 mcf, from an October average of 26,222 mcf, but up 16.8% from a November 2019 average of 20,718 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Swanson River field averaged 20,053 mcf per day, down 11.2%, 2,519 mcf, from an October average of 22,573 mcf, and down 46.5% from a November 2019 average of 37,466 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s North Cook Inlet averaged 17,661 mcf per day in November, up 1.9%, 321 mcf, from an October average of 17,340 mcf and up 27% from a November 2019 average of 13,910 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Beaver Creek averaged 13,809 mcf per day in November, up 4.7%, 621 mcf, from an October average of 13,188 mcf, and up 86.8% from a November 2019 average of 7,393 mcf per day.

Furie Operating’s Kitchen Lights averaged 13,299 mcf per day in November, down 5.8%, 816 mcf, from an October average of 14,114 mcf and up 0.8% from a November 2019 average of 13,195 mcf per day.

There are 12 smaller fields - two others, Redoubt Shoal and West McArthur River, are shutdown.

AIX’s Kenai Loop averaged 5,094 mcf per day in November, up 0.6%, 29 mcf, from an October average of 5,065 mcf and down 5.7% from a November 2019 average of 5,401 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Cannery Loop averaged 4,981 mcf per day in November, up 2.2%, 109 mcf, from an October average of 4,872 mcf and down 31.6% from a November 2019 average of 7,279 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Granite Point averaged 3,758 mcf per day in November, down 0.2%, 8 mcf, from an October average of 3,766 mcf and up 38% from a November 2019 average of 2,722 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Ivan River averaged 3,682 mcf per day in November, down 18.9%, 857 mcf, from an October average of 4,538 mcf and up 906% from a November 2019 average of 366 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Deep Creek averaged 3,629 mcf per day in November, down 2.3%, 85 mcf, from an October average of 3,714 mcf and down 18.5% from a November 2019 average of 4,453 mcf per day.

The North Fork field, purchased by Gardes Holdings in October, averaged 3,184 mcf per day in November, down 1%, 32 mcf, from an October average of 3,216 mcf and down 13.8% from a November 2019 average of 3,693 mcf per day.

BlueCrest’s Hansen field averaged 2,846 mcf per day in November, down 0.9%, 25 mcf, from an October average of 2,871 mcf and down 50% from a November 2019 average of 5,689 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Trading Bay averaged 1,945 mcf per day in November, down 21.4%, 530 mcf, from an October average of 2,475 mcf and down 34.5% from a November 2019 average of 2,968 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Lewis River averaged 986 mcf per day in November, down 6.7%, 71 mcf, from an October average of 1,057 mcf and down 13.8% from a November 2019 average of 1,143 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Nikolaevsk averaged 345 mcf per day in November, down 4.6%, 17 mcf, from an October average of 362 mcf and down 20.1% from a November 2019 average of 432 mcf per day.

Amaroq’s Nicolai Creek averaged 313 mcf per day in November, up 24.4%, 61 mcf, from an October average of 251 mcf and up 68.7% from a November 2019 average of 185 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Middle Ground Shoal averaged 242 mcf per day in November, down 7.8%, 21 mcf, from an October average of 263 mcf and down 9.3% from a November 2019 average of 267 mcf per day.

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.

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

- KRISTEN NELSON