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ANS crude production up 19% from August North Slope production up on completion of summer maintenance; August Cook Inlet production, led by Trading Bay, up 8% over July Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
Alaska North Slope crude oil production was up in September following the August completion of scheduled summer maintenance on the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, averaging 523,554 barrels per day, a 19.2 increase over the August average of 439,152 bpd.
August figures for Cook Inlet, the latest available, show the Southcentral basin averaged 16,247 bpd, up 7.6 percent from July, with the largest increase, 61.9 percent, at Trading Bay.
On the North Slope, all fields except Endicott showed month-over-month production increases in September.
The largest per-barrel increase was at the BP Exploration (Alaska)-operated Prudhoe Bay field, which averaged 291,150 bpd in September, up 52,653 bpd, 22.1 percent, from an August average of 238,507 bpd.
Prudhoe Bay production includes volumes from western Prudhoe satellites (Aurora, Borealis, Midnight Sun, Orion and Polaris) as well as from the BP-operated Northstar and Milne Point fields.
Production figures for September are from the Alaska Department of Revenue’s Tax Division which reports ANS crude oil production consolidated by major production centers and provides daily production and monthly averages. 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 biggest percent increase The ConocoPhillips Alaska-operated Kuparuk River field had the largest month-over-month percentage increase, averaging 134,525 bpd in September, up 22.5 percent, 24,741 bpd, from an August average of 109,784 bpd. Kuparuk volumes include satellite production from Meltwater, Tabasco, Tarn and West Sak, as well as production from the Eni-operated Nikaitchuq field and the Pioneer Natural Resources Alaska-operated Oooguruk field.
August AOGCC figures for Nikaitchuq show an average of 14,074 bpd, up 2,012 bpd, 16.7 percent, from a July average of 12,062 bpd. Oooguruk averaged 8,266 bpd in August, commission figures show, up 790 bpd, 10.6 percent, from a July average of 7,476 bpd. Oooguruk produces from three formations — Kuparuk, Nuiqsut and Torok — with Kuparuk and Torok production roughly flat, month-over-month, and Nuiqsut production, which accounts for the bulk of Oooguruk volume, up 13.7 percent, to 7,030 bpd in August from 6,202 bpd in July.
BP-operated Lisburne, which includes Point McIntyre and Niakuk production, averaged 29,984 bpd in September, up 20.3 percent, 5,049 bpd, from an August average of 24,935 bpd.
The ConocoPhillips-operated Alpine field averaged 61,188 bpd in September, up 8.5 percent, 4,800 bpd, from an August average of 56,388 bpd. Alpine production includes volumes from three satellites: Fiord, Nanuq and Qannik. AOGCC data for August shows 64 percent of Alpine production coming from the main field in that month, with Fiord making up 31 percent, followed by Qannik at 3 percent and Nanuq at roughly 2 percent.
The BP-operated Endicott field was the only one on the North Slope to show a decline in production from August to September. The field averaged 6,707 bpd in September, down 29.7 percent, 2,831 bpd, from an August average of 9,538 bpd. Endicott production includes the Savant-operated Badami field, which AOGCC data shows averaged 1,243 bpd in August, down 7 percent, 97 bpd, from an August average of 1,340 bpd.
Climbing well above 15,000 bpd In July, Cook Inlet oil production broke through the 15,000 bpd barrier; in August it broke through 16,000, averaging 16,247 bpd, up 7.6 percent from a July average of 15,099 bpd.
The Hilcorp-operated Trading Bay field had the largest month-over-month increase, averaging 2,208 bpd in August, up 61.9 percent from a July average of 1,364 bpd. Hilcorp has been reworking wells it acquired in January 2012 when it took over Chevron’s Cook Inlet assets, increasing production in the basin.
The Hilcorp-operated Swanson River field averaged 2,450 bpd in August, up 13.2 percent from a July average of 2,165 bpd.
Cook Inlet Energy, which has also been reworking existing fields it took over after Pacific Energy went into bankruptcy in 2009, produced 1,690 bpd from Redoubt Shoal in August, up 12.3 percent from a July average of 1,505 bpd.
Hilcorp averaged 4,471 bpd in August at McArthur River, up 3.7 percent from a July average of 4,311 bpd.
Other Cook Inlet fields had month-over-month declines.
Cook Inlet Energy’s West McArthur River field averaged 588 bpd in August, down 16 percent from a July volume of 700 bpd.
Middle Ground Shoal, operated by ExxonMobil subsidiary XTO, averaged 2,467 bpd in August, down 5.5 percent from a July average of 2,610 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Granite Point averaged 2,221 bpd in August, down 3 percent from a July average of 2,290 bpd, and Hilcorp’s Beaver Creek averaged 152 bpd in August, down 1.3 percent from a July average of 154 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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