December ANS production flat from November

Crude averages 467,224 bpd, NGLs 57,688 bpd; Southern Miluveach, which began production in November, had no production in December

Kristen Nelson

Petroleum News

Alaska North Slope production averaged 524,912 barrels per day in December, basically flat month over month, with volumes down just 0.2%, 826 bpd, from a November average of 525,738 bpd, but down 1.9% from a December 2018 average of 535,256 bpd.

ANS crude was down 0.6% and North Slope natural gas liquids were up by 3.5%. Crude averaged 467,224 bpd in December, down 2,770 bpd from November, while NGLs averaged 57,688 bpd, up 1,944 bpd from November. ANS crude was down 2.6% from a December 2018 average of 479,475 bpd; North Slope NGLs were up 3.4% from a December 2018 average of 55,781 bpd.

Production data reported here is from the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which provides volumes by field and well on a month delay basis.

Of note in the December numbers was the absence of any production from Brooks Range Petroleum Corp.’s Southern Miluveach field, which began production in November at an average of 367 bpd and reported no production in December (see page 1 story in this issue).

The largest month-over-month volume increase was at the ExxonMobil Production operated Point Thomson field, which averaged 5,491 bpd, up 4,228 bpd, 335%, from a November average of 1,263 bpd, but down 48.8% from a December 2018 average of 10,725 bpd. The high-pressure condensate field, on the eastern edge of the North Slope, has had equipment issues and has only rarely reached its rated 10,000 bpd capacity.

Eni’s Nikaitchuq averaged 20,564 bpd, up 1,988 bpd, 10.7%, from a November average of 18,575 bpd, and up 123.4% from a December 2018 average of 9,205 bpd when production was ramping back up from a slowdown following subsea pipeline repairs.

The Hilcorp Alaska-operated Milne Point field averaged 30,124 bpd in December, up 1,101 bpd, 3.8%, from a November average of 29,023 bpd, and up 42.9% from a December 2018 average of 21,075 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Northstar averaged 10,304 bpd in December, up 7%, 675 bpd, from a November average of 9,629 bpd, but down 7.9% from a December 2018 average of 11,191 bpd. Northstar production includes crude, which averaged 7,211 bpd, up 2.3% from November, and NGLs, which averaged 3,093 bpd, up 19.7% from November.

Other fields down

The Kuparuk River unit, operated by ConocoPhillips, averaged 102,825 bpd in December, down 2,687 bpd, 2.6%, from a November average of 105,512 bpd and down 7.4% from a December 2018 average of 111,047 bpd. In addition to the main Kuparuk pool, Kuparuk produces from satellites at Meltwater, Tabasco and Tarn, and from West Sak.

ConocoPhillips’ Greater Mooses Tooth, in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, averaged 6,297 bpd in December, down 1,763 bpd, 21.9%, from a November average of 8,060 bpd and down 41.9% from a December 2018 average of 11,023 bpd. There are three wells producing at the field, but 94% of its production is from a single well.

Eni’s Oooguruk averaged 8,170 bpd in December, down 874 bpd, 9.7%, from a November average of 9,045 bpd and down 17.6% from a December 2018 average of 9,909 bpd.

Production from the BP Exploration (Alaska)-operated Prudhoe Bay field, the North Slope’s largest, averaged 277,402 bpd in December, down 270 bpd, 0.1%, from a November average of 277,672 bpd, and down 2.6% from a December 2018 average of 284,918 bpd. Prudhoe crude averaged 223,779 bpd, down 1,724 bpd from November, while NGLs averaged 53,623 bpd, up 1,454 bpd from November. 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 Hilcorp-operated Endicott field averaged 7,446 bpd in December, down 59 bpd, 0.8%, from a November average of 7,505 and down 0.2% from a December 2018 average of 7,434 bpd. Crude production from Endicott averaged 6,474 bpd, down 38 bpd from November, while NGL production averaged 972 bpd, down 20 bpd.

The Badami field, operated by Glacier Oil & Gas company Savant, averaged 1,351 bpd in December, down 28 bpd, 2%, from a November average of 1,379 bpd and down 27% from a December 2018 average of 1,850 bpd.

Cook Inlet also flat

The only Cook Inlet field with a December production increase was Hilcorp Alaska’s Granite Point, which averaged 3,306 bpd, up 594 bpd, 21.9%, from a November average of 2,712 bpd, and also up 22.4% from 2,702 bpd in December 2018.

Hilcorp’s Beaver Creek, Cook Inlet’s smallest oil field, averaged 198 bpd in December, down 8 bpd, 3.7%, from a November average of 206 bpd and down 72.6% from a December 2018 average of 723 bpd.

BlueCrest’s Hansen field, the Cosmopolitan project, averaged 1,181 bpd in December, down 5 bpd, 0.4%, from a November average of 1,186 bpd and down 22.5% from a December 2018 average of 1,523 bpd.

Hilcorp’s McArthur River, Cook Inlet’s largest field, averaged 4,414 bpd in December, down 139 bpd, 3.1%, from a November average of 4,553 bpd and down 15.4% from a December 2018 average of 5,216 bpd.

Middle Ground Shoal, also a Hilcorp field, averaged 1,263 bpd in December, down 63 bpd, 4.8%, from a November average of 1,326 bpd and down 13.1% from a December 2018 average of 1,453 bpd.

Redoubt Shoal, operated by Cook Inlet Energy, a Glacier Oil & Gas company, averaged 1,320 bpd in December, down 42 bpd, 3.1%, from a November average of 1,362 bpd, but up 0.8% from a December 2018 average of 1,310 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Swanson River averaged 737 bpd, down 94 bpd, 11.3%, from a November average of 831 bpd and down 41.4% from a December 2018 average of 1,258 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Trading Bay averaged 1,309 bpd in December, down 58 bpd, 4.2%, from a November average of 1,366 bpd and down 3.5% from a December 2018 average of 1,357 bpd.

West McArthur River, managed by Glacier’s Cook Inlet Energy, averaged 417 bpd in December, down 158 bpd, 27.5%, from a November average of 576 bpd and down 35.4% from a December 2018 average of 646 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 natural gas averages 212,927 mcf

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 majority of Cook Inlet natural gas, 81% in December, comes from seven fields: Beluga, Kenai, Kitchen Lights, McArthur River, Ninilchik, North Cook Inlet and Swanson River.

Cook Inlet averaged 212,927 thousand cubic feet, mcf, per day in December, down 5.7%, 4,155 mcf, from a November average of 217,128 mcf and down 11.6% from a December 2018 average of 241,260 mcf.

Hilcorp Alaska’s Kenai gas field averaged 33,463 mcf per day in December, 15.7% of inlet production, an increase of 540 mcf, 1.6%, from a November average of 32,923 mcf but down 3% from a December 2018 average of 34,501 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s Ninilchik field produced nearly as much, 33,017 mcf per day in December, 15.5% of inlet production, a decline of 1,105 mcf per day, 3.2%, from a November average of 34,122 mcf, and down 12.2% from a December 2018 average of 37,617 mcf.

Hilcorp’s Swanson River averaged 30,434 mcf per day in December, 14.3% of inlet production, down 7,032 mcf per day, 18.8%, from a November average of 37,466 bcf and down 3.3% from a December 2018 average of 31,465 mcf.

Hilcorp’s McArthur River, the inlet’s largest oil producer, averaged 22,188 mcf per day of gas in December, 10.4% of inlet production, down 224 mcf, 1%, from a November average of 22,412 mcf and down 9.7% from a December 2018 average of 24,559 mcf.

The Beluga River field, operated by Hilcorp, averaged 20,416 mcf per day in December, 9.6% of inlet production, down 302 mcf per day, 1.5%, from a November average of 20,718 mcf, and down 28% from a December 2018 average of 28,362 mcf per day.

Hilcorp’s North Cook Inlet field averaged 17,421 mcf per day in December, 8.2% of inlet production, an increase of 3,511 mcf, 25.2%, from a November average of 13,910 mcf, and up 20.3% from a December 2018 average of 14,479 mcf per day.

Furie’s Kitchen Lights averaged 14,797 mcf per day in December, 7% of inlet production, up 1,602 mcf per day, 12.1%, from a November average of 13,195 mcf, but down 26.8% from a December 2018 average of 20,227 mcf.

Remaining Cook Inlet natural gas producers, ranked by December production, are:

*Beaver Creek (Hilcorp), 7,347 mcf per day in December, down 0.6% from 7,393 mcf in November and down 17.1% from 8,857 mcf in December 2018

*Cannery Loop (Hilcorp), 5,854 mcf per day in December, down 19.8% from 7,279 mcf in November and down 11.7% from 6,629 mcf in December 2018

*Kenai Loop (AIX), 5,323 mcf per day in December, down 1.4% from 5,401 mcf in November and down 0.6% from 5,357 mcf in December 2018

*Hansen (BlueCrest), 5,298 mcf per day in December, down 6.9% from 5,689 mcf in November and down 55.2% from 11,819 mcf in December 2018

*Deep Creek (Hilcorp), 4,220 mcf per day in December, down 5.3% from 4,453 mcf in November and down 8.9% from 4,633 mcf in December 2018

*North Fork (Glacier Oil & Gas subsidiary Cook Inlet Energy), 3,583 mcf per day in December, down 3% from 3,693 mcf in November and down 14.6% from 4,196 mcf in December 2018

*Granite Point (Hilcorp), 3,267 mcf per day in December, up 20% from 2,722 mcf in November and up 15.8% from 2,821 mcf in December 2018

*Trading Bay (Hilcorp), 3,149 mcf per day in December, up 6.1% from 2,968 mcf in November and down 1.8% from 3,208 mcf in December 2018

*Lewis River (Hilcorp), 1,552 mcf in December, up 35.7% from 1,143 mcf in November and up 351.9% from 343 in December 2018

*Nikolaevsk (Hilcorp), 402 mcf per day in December, down 7.1% from 432 mcf in November and down 6.6% from 430 in December 2018

*Ivan River (Hilcorp), 329 mcf per day in December, down 10.2% from 366 mcf in November and down 21% from 416 mcf in December 2018

*Redoubt Shoal (Glacier’s CIE), 292 mcf per day in December, up 4.1% from 280 mcf in November and up 16% from 251 mcf in December 2018

*Nicolai Creek (Amaroq), 285 mcf per day in December, up 53.7% from 185 mcf in November and down 27.5% from 393 mcf in December 2018

*Middle Ground Shoal (Hilcorp), 211 mcf per day in December, down 21% from 267 mcf in November and down 25.3% from 283 mcf in December 2018

*West McArthur River (Glacier’s CIE), 79 mcf per day in December, down 27.5% from 109 mcf in November and down 25.1% from 105 mcf in December 2018

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

—KRISTEN NELSON