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May ANS production down 0.3% from April
Biggest monthly increases at Oooguruk, Kuparuk, Milne Point; Badami has small gain; other North Slope fields down month-over-month Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
Alaska North Slope production averaged 513,740 barrels per day in May (460,672 bpd of crude and 53,068 bpd of natural gas liquids), down 0.3%, 1,551 bpd, from an April average of 515,292 bpd and down 3.4% from a May 2018 average of 531,827 bpd.
The month-over-month decrease was entirely in NGLs, which were down 3.9%, 2,148 bpd, from an April average of 55,216 bpd, while crude oil production was basically flat, up 0.1%, 597 bpd, from an April average of 460,075 bpd. NGLs were up 3.1% from May 2018, when they averaged 51,464 bpd, while crude was down 4.1% from May 2018, when it averaged 480,363 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.
Up month-over-month The largest May over April increase was at Oooguruk, which Eni acquired from Caelus in January subject to approvals. The field averaged 9,293 bpd in May, up 39.9%, 2,648 bpd, from an April average of 6,645 bpd, although it was down 17.3% from a May 2018 average of 11,235 bpd.
The Kuparuk River field, operated by ConocoPhillips Alaska, averaged 102,879 bpd in May, up 2.5%, 2,537 bpd, from an April average of 100,342 bpd, but down 6.5% from a May 2018 average of 110,081 bpd. In addition to the main Kuparuk pool, Kuparuk produces from satellites at Meltwater, Tabasco and Tarn, and from West Sak.
Milne Point, operated by Hilcorp Alaska, averaged 26,062 bpd, up 3.2%, 802 bpd, from an April average of 25,260 bpd, and up 24.7% from a May 2018 average of 20,900 bpd.
Badami, operated by Savant Alaska, a Glacier Oil & Gas company, averaged 1,721 bpd in May, up 3.7%, 62 bpd, from an April average of 1,659 bpd, and up 29.5% from a May 2018 average of 1,329 bpd.
Down month-over-month The largest month-over-month per-barrel decline in production was at the BP Exploration (Alaska)-operated Prudhoe Bay field, the North Slope’s largest, which averaged 269,959 bpd in May, down 1.1%, 3,089 bpd, from an April average of 272,748 bpd. Prudhoe crude oil production averaged 219,690 bpd, down 0.7%, 1,589 bpd from an April average of 221,280 bpd, and down 9.4% from a May 2018 average of 231,677. Production of Prudhoe NGL’s averaged 49,969 bpd, down 2.9%, 1,500 bpd, from an April average of 51,469 bpd, and up 3.3% from a May 2018 average of 48,381 bpd.
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 largest month-over-month percentage decline was at the ExxonMobil Production Co.-operated Point Thomson field, which averaged 6,668 bpd in May, down 16.9%, 1,359 bpd, from an April average of 8,027 bpd and up 16.3% from a May 2018 bpd average of 5,734 bpd.
ConocoPhillips’ Greater Mooses Tooth in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska came online last October with two wells and a production average of 7,754 bpd. The field’s May production averaged 11,335 bpd from three wells, down 7.5%, 918 bpd, from an April average of 12,253 bpd.
Northstar, operated by Hilcorp, averaged 10,655 bpd in May, down 6.3%, 718 bpd, from an April average of 11,373 and down 0.4% from a May 2018 average of 10,701 bpd. The field’s production included an average of 8,335 bpd of crude oil (down 2.1% from an April average of 8,510 bpd and up 0.5% from a May 2018 average of 8,297 bpd) and 2,320 bpd of NGLs (down 19%, 543 bpd, from an April average of 2,863 bpd, and down 3.5% from a May 2018 average of 2,404 bpd).
The Hilcorp-operated Endicott field averaged 7,071 bpd in May, down 3.5%, 257 bpd, from an April average of 7,328 bpd and up 6.2% from a May 2018 average of 6,655 bpd. Endicott production included 6,291 bpd of crude (down 2.4% from an April average of 6,443 bpd and up 5.3% from a May 2018 average of 5,976 bpd) and 779 bpd of NGLs (down 11.9% from an April average of 885 bpd and up 14.8% from a May 2018 average of 679 bpd).
ConocoPhillips’ Colville River unit averaged 51,759 bpd in May, down 1.7%, 902 bpd, from an April average of 52,661 bpd and down 21.2% from a May 2018 average of 65,641 bpd. In addition to oil from the main Alpine pool, Colville production includes satellite production from Fiord, Nanuq and Qannik.
Eni’s Nikaitchuq field averaged 16,640 bpd in May, down 1.4%, 238 bpd, from an April average of 16,877 and down 14.4% from a May 2018 average of 19,441 bpd.
Cook Inlet Cook Inlet production averaged 13,779 bpd in May, down 10.5%, 1,619 bpd, from an April average of 15,397 bpd and down 11.8% from a May 2018 average of 15,620 bpd.
BlueCrest’s Hansen field, the Cosmopolitan project, was the only Cook Inlet field with a month-over-month production gain, averaging 1,713 bpd in May, up 2.7%, 45 bpd, from an April average of 1,668 bpd and up 103.7% from a May 2018 average of 841 bpd. Last May the field was producing from two wells; this May it is producing from five wells.
Hilcorp’s Middle Ground Shoal had the steepest month-over-month production decline, averaging 173 bpd in May, down 86.9%, 1,148 bpd, from an April average of 1,321 bpd, and down 87.6% from a May 2018 average of 1,392 bpd. 2018 and 2019 plans of development for Middle Ground Shoal indicate maintenance work at the A and C platforms from which the field is producing. There is no current production from the Baker and Dillon platforms.
Hilcorp’s Beaver Creek field averaged 351 bpd in May, down 15.9%, 66 bpd, from an April average of 417 bpd, but up 308.3% from a May 2018 average of 86 bpd. Hilcorp did a redrill at the field in November; last October, the last full month of production prior to the re-drill, production at the field averaged 71 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Trading Bay field averaged 1,469 bpd in May, down 9.1%, 146 bpd, from an April average of 1,615 bpd and down 15.2% from a May 2018 average of 1,731 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Granite Point averaged 2,452 bpd in May, down 5.2%, 135 bpd, from an April average of 2,586 bpd, and down 14.1% from a May 2018 average of 2,853 bpd.
West McArthur River, operated by Cook Inlet Energy, a Glacier Oil & Gas company, averaged 553 bpd in May, down 3.9%, 22 bpd, from an April average of 575 bpd and down 38.6% from a May 2018 average of 900 bpd.
Redoubt Shoal, also operated by Cook Inlet Energy, averaged 1,191 bpd, down 3.3%, 40 bpd, from an April average of 1,231 but up 2.2% from a May 2018 average of 1,165 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Swanson River averaged 1,044 bpd in May, down 2.6%, 28 bpd, from an April average of 1,072, and down 29.8% from a May 2018 average of 1,486 bpd.
Hilcorp’s McArthur River field, Cook Inlet’s largest, averaged 4,834 bpd in May, down 1.6%, 78 bpd, from an April average of 4,912 and down 6.4% from a May 2018 average of 5,166 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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