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February ANS crude down 1.8% from January
North Slope production averaged 472,457 bpd of crude oil, 55,187 bpd of NGLs; Cook Inlet up marginally at an average of 15,134 bpd
Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
Alaska North Slope production averaged 527,644 barrels per day in February, down 1.8 percent, 9,850 bpd, from a January average of 537,493 bpd. Of the February total, 472,457 bpd, 89.5 percent, was crude oil; 55,187 bpd, 10.5 percent, was natural gas liquids, with the majority of the NGLs coming from the Prudhoe Bay field.
February’s volumes were down 4.1 percent from a February 2018 average of 550,019 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.
Increases at three fields The largest month-over-month production increase was at the ConocoPhillips Alaska-operated Kuparuk River field, second largest on the Slope, which averaged 107,582 bpd in February, up 1.5 percent, 1,597 bpd, from a January average of 105,984 bpd, but down 8.9 percent from a February 2018 average of 118,104 bpd. In addition to the main Kuparuk pool, Kuparuk produces from satellites at Meltwater, Tabasco and Tarn, and from West Sak.
The largest percentage increase was at ConocoPhillips’s Greater Mooses Tooth in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, which averaged 12,526 bpd in February, up 3.7 percent, 449 bpd, from a January average of 12,077 bpd. That field came online in October; in February it was producing from two wells.
The other North Slope field with a month-over-month production increase was the Hilcorp Alaska-operated Milne Point field, which averaged 23,108 bpd in February, up 3.2 percent, 723 bpd, from a January average of 22,385. Milne production was also up year-over-year, an increase of 11.4 percent from a February 2018 average of 20,753 bpd.
Largest drops at Prudhoe, Badami The largest declines were at the Slope’s largest and smallest fields - Prudhoe and Badami.
The largest month-over-month decline by volume, 9,281 bpd, was at the BP Exploration (Alaska)-operated Prudhoe Bay field, the Slope’s largest, which averaged 275,307 bpd in February, 224,196 bpd of crude and 51,111 bpd of NGLs. Month-over-month production was down 3.3 percent from a January average of 284,588 bpd and down 5.2 percent from a February 2018 average of 290,376 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 percent decrease was at the Badami field, currently the Slope’s smallest, operated by Glacier Oil & Gas subsidiary Savant, which averaged 1,823 bpd in February, down 21.5 percent, 500 bpd, from a January average of 2,323 bpd. Production at the field was, however, up 174.2 percent from a February 2018 average of 665 bpd. Production at Badami increased substantially in May of 2018 when Savant brought the B1-07 well online, almost doubling production from 698 bpd in April 2018 to 1,329 bpd. Production has fluctuated since, topping out (for recent production years) at 2,323 bpd this January. (When BP brought Badami online in the late 1990s the company expected production volumes of 10,000 bpd; it shut the field in to protect the pipeline when production dropped to less than 3,000 bpd; the Badami pipeline currently carries Point Thomson condensate as well as Badami crude.)
Others down month-over-month The ExxonMobil Production-operated Point Thomson field averaged 8,784 bpd in February, down 7.4 percent, 705 bpd, from a January average of 9,490 bpd, but up 57.1 percent from a February 2018 average of 5,592 bpd. The field came online in April 2016, producing condensate and reinjecting natural gas. It was offline for much of this last summer for maintenance and resumed operation in October, with production increasing to a December peak of 10,725 bpd. Point Thomson facilities were designed to produce 10,000 bpd of condensate.
Eni’s Nikaitchuq averaged 17,244 bpd in February, down 6.2 percent, 1,311 bpd, from a January average of 18,375, and down 11.1 percent from a February 2018 average of 19,403 bpd.
The Hilcorp Alaska-operated Northstar field averaged 11,553 bpd in February, down 2.8 percent, 336 bpd, from a January average of 11,890 bpd, but up 10.9 percent from a February 2018 average of 10,418 bpd. Northstar’s February production included 8,496 bpd of crude oil and 3,057 bpd of NGLs.
Eni took over the Oooguruk field in January (it had previously been a minority working interest owner) and that field averaged 9,155 bpd in February, down 1.9 percent, 182 bpd, from a January average of 9,336, and down 31.6 percent from a February 2018 average of 13,385 bpd.
ConocoPhillips’ Colville River field averaged 53,053 bpd in February, down 0.9 percent, 474 bpd, from a January average of 53,527 bpd, and down 16.7 percent from a February 2018 average of 63,690 bpd. In addition to oil from the main Alpine pool, Colville production includes satellite production from Fiord, Nanuq and Qannik.
The Hilcorp-operated Endicott field averaged 7,508 bpd in February, down 0.1 percent, 11 bpd, from a January average of 7,518 bpd and down 1.6 percent from a February 2018 average of 7,633 bpd. Endicott’s February production included 6,489 bpd of crude and 1,019 bpd of NGLs.
Cook Inlet up marginally Cook Inlet crude oil production averaged 15,134 bpd in February, up 0.6 percent, 86 bpd, from a January average of 15,048 bpd, but down 6.3 percent from a February 2018 average of 16,146 bpd.
Most fields saw a month-over-month decline in production, with the exception of fairly solid month-over-month increases at the Redoubt Shoal and West McArthur River fields, both operated by Glacier Oil & Gas subsidiary Cook Inlet Energy, and a marginal gain at Hilcorp Alaska’s Swanson River field.
Hilcorp Alaska’s Beaver Creek field, Cook Inlet’s smallest, averaged 346 bpd in February, down 28.2 percent, 136 bpd, from a January average of 482 bpd, but up 226 percent from February 2018, when the field averaged 106 bpd. Production at the field kicked up in November from fewer than 100 bpd to 904 bpd following a redrill, with the 5RD2 well accounting for the sudden increase. Production has declined each month since November.
Hilcorp’s Granite Point averaged 2,624 bpd in February, down 1.9 percent, 50 bpd, from a January average of 2,674 bpd and down 7.1 percent from February 2018, when the field averaged 2,823 bpd.
BlueCrest’s Hansen field, the Cosmopolitan project, averaged 1,396 bpd in February, down 2 percent, 29 bpd, from a January average of 1,425 bpd but up 78.5 percent from February 2018 when it averaged 782 bpd.
Hilcorp’s McArthur River field, Cook Inlet’s largest, averaged 4,810 bpd in February, down 6.6 percent, 341 bpd, from a January average of 5,151 bpd, and down 2.4 percent from a February 2018 average of 4,926 bpd.
Middle Ground Shoal, also operated by Hilcorp, averaged 1,422 bpd, down 1.9 percent, 27 bpd, from a January average of 1,449 bpd and down 7.5 percent from a February 2018 average of 1,537 bpd.
Redoubt, operated by Glacier Oil & Gas subsidiary Cook Inlet Energy, averaged 1,496 bpd in February, up 52.5 percent, 515 bpd, from a January average of 981 bpd and up 2 percent from a February 2018 average of 1,467 bpd. Over the last year production at the field has fluctuated but has generally remained in the range of 1,200 to 1,350 bpd with the exception of January.
Hilcorp’s Swanson River field had a slight increase in February, averaging 1,063 bpd, up 0.9 percent, 9 bpd, from a January average of 1,053 bpd, but was down 31.4 percent from a February 2018 average of 1,548 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Trading Bay field averaged 1,287 bpd in February, down 6.9 percent, 95 bpd, from a January average of 1,382 bpd, and down 29.8 percent from a February 2018 average of 1,833 bpd.
West McArthur River, like Redoubt operated by Glacier Oil & Gas subsidiary Cook Inlet Energy, averaged 690 bpd in February up 53 percent, 239 bpd, from a January average of 451 bpd, but down 38.6 percent from a February 2018 average of 1,124 bpd. Redoubt production has been in decline for the past two months.
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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