July ANS production up 21% to 482,029 bpd

Recovery led by large upticks at Colville River, Kuparuk, after ConocoPhillips ends cutbacks; Cook Inlet down 2.5% to 11,341 bpd

Kristen Nelson

Petroleum News

Alaska North Slope production averaged 482,029 barrels per day in July, up 21.1% from a June average of 398,003 bpd, the increase driven by returns to full production at the Colville River and Kuparuk River fields, as operator ConocoPhillips restored the rest of its curtailed Alaska production. July’s volumes are also up 1.6% from a July 2019 average of 474,620 bpd.

ConocoPhillips’ companywide curtailment began in May and averaged some 225,000 bpd, with some 15% of that curtailment in Alaska, the company said at the end of June.

The ANS volumes are 89.8% crude oil, 432,764 bpd, up 23.9%, 83,425 bpd, from a June average of 349,339 bpd, but down 0.3% from a July 2019 average of 434,162 bpd. Natural gas liquids averaged 49,265 bpd, 10.2% of the total, up 1.2%, 601 bpd, from a June average of 48,663, and up 21.8% from a July 2019 average of 40,458 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.

Kuparuk, Colville

In addition to the main Kuparuk pool, Kuparuk produces from satellites at Meltwater, Tabasco and Tarn, and from West Sak.

ConocoPhillips’ Colville River unit had the largest month-over-month percentage increase, 167.1%, with July production at the field averaging 49,429 bpd, up 30,924 bpd from a June average of 18,505 bpd, but down 3.1% from a July 2019 average of 50,991 bpd.

In addition to oil from the main Alpine pool, Colville production includes satellite production from Fiord, Nanuq and Qannik.

Two of the smaller ANS fields, both operated by Hilcorp, had small month-over-month production increases.

Northstar averaged 9,356 bpd in July, up 11.8%, 983 bpd, from a June average of 8,373 bpd, and up 1.7% from a July 2019 average of 9,198 bpd.

The field’s volumes include both crude and NGLs, and the production increase comes from NGLs. Northstar crude production averaged 5,775 bpd, down 2.3%, 135 bpd, from a June average of 5,911 bpd and down 27% from a July 2019 average of 7,911 bpd. NGL production at Northstar averaged 3,581 bpd (38.3% of the field’s volume), up 45.5%, 1,119 bpd, from a June average of 2,462 bpd and up 178.2% from a July 2019 average of 1,287 bpd.

At Endicott the increase came from crude production. The field averaged 7,380 bpd in July, up 1.3%, 94 bpd, from a June average of 7,286 bpd, but down 0.1% from a July 2019 average of 7,387 bpd. Crude production, 88.8% of the field’s volume, averaged 6,554 bpd in July, up 3%, 189 bpd, from a June average of 6,364 bpd, but down 0.8% from a July 2019 average of 6,606 bpd. NGL production averaged 827 bpd in July, down 10.3%, 95 bpd, from a June average of 922 bpd, but up 5.8% from a July 2019 average of 781 bpd.

Production down at other fields

Production at the Hilcorp-operated Prudhoe Bay field, the Slope’s largest, averaged 250,038 bpd in July, down 0.6%, 1,467 bpd, from a June average of 251,505 bpd, but up 8.6% from a July 2019 average of 230,325 bpd. Crude production, 82.1% of the field’s volume, averaged 205,181 bpd in July, down 0.5%, 1,044 bpd, from a June average of 206,225 bpd but up 6.9% from a July 2019 average of 191,936 bpd. Prudhoe NGL production averaged 44,857 bpd in July, down 0.9%, 422 bpd, from a June average of 45,280 bpd but up 16.9% from a July 2019 average of 38,389 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.

Eni’s Oooguruk field averaged 7,549 bpd in July, down 8.6%, 706 bpd, from a June average of 8,256 bpd and down 13.4% from a July 2019 average of 8,720 bpd.

Eni’s Nikaitchuq averaged 19,297 bpd in July, down 3.1%, 626 bpd, from a June average of 19,923 and down 4.4% from a July 2019 average of 20,175 bpd.

The ExxonMobil Production-operated Point Thomson field averaged 9,066 bpd in July, down 4%, 374 bpd, from a June average of 9,440 bpd but up 115.8% from a July 2019 average of 4,201 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Milne Point field averaged 32,784 bpd in July, basically level with June production of 32,786 bpd and up 22.5% from a July 2019 average of 26,765 bpd.

Operations were suspended in May at Badami, operated by Savant Alaska, a Glacier Oil and Gas Corp. company. Southern Miluveach, operated by Brooks Range Petroleum, is in warm shut-down after producing 367 bpd last November.

Cook Inlet

Operations were suspended in May at two fields operated by Cook Inlet Energy, a Glacier Oil and Gas Corp. company, Redoubt Shoal and West McArthur River. In July 2019 production at those two fields averaged just over 1,400 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Granite Point field averaged 3,155 bpd in July, up 1.4%, 42 bpd, from a June average of 3,113 bpd and up 24.2% from a July 2019 average of 2,541 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Beaver Creek averaged 132 bpd in July, up 22.3%, 24 bpd, from a June average of 108 bpd, but down 82.5% from a July 2019 average of 755 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Middle Ground Shoal averaged 1,262 bpd in July, up marginally from a June average of 1,258 bpd but down 9.2% from a July 2019 average of 1,389 bpd.

Hilcorp’s McArthur River field, Cook Inlet’s largest, averaged 3,707 bpd in July, down 6.3%, 250 bpd, from a June average of 3,957 bpd and down 20.3% from a July 2019 average of 4,650 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Trading Bay averaged 1,286 bpd in July, down 5.8%, 79 bpd, from a June average of 1,365 bpd and down 3.8% from a July 2019 average of 1,337 bpd.

Hilcorp’s Swanson River averaged 817 bpd in July, down 2.9%, 24 bpd, from a June average of 841 bpd and down 6.8% from a July 2019 average of 877 bpd.

BlueCrest’s Hansen field, the Cosmopolitan project, averaged 982 bpd in July, down 1.2%, 12 bpd, from a June average of 994 bpd and down 28.4% from a July 2019 average of 1,371 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.