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July Cook Inlet production up 15 percent from June Alpine production hits 96,955 barrels a day in June, with July high of 101,142 barrels a day Kristen Nelson PNA Editor-in-Chief
Alaska North Slope liquids production averaged 961,265 barrels a day in June and dropped 1.2 percent to an average of 949,685 barrels a day in July, in spite of increasing Alpine production. The newest North Slope field hit a June peak of almost 97,000 bopd and peaked at more than 101,000 bopd in July.
Production continues to increase at the Phillips Alaska Inc.-operated Alpine field on the west side of the North Slope, averaging 97,176 bopd in July, up 9.7 percent from an average of 88,551 bopd in June, that average a 6.2 percent increase from a May average of 83,348 bopd. Alpine was the only North Slope field with increasing production in June.
In July, Endicott production also increased, averaging 33,728 bopd, a 4.9 percent increase from June average production of 32,151 bopd. Endicott production includes Sag Delta, Eider and Badami.
The largest percent increase in the state, however, was in Cook Inlet, which bumped up 14.84 percent in July to an average of 35,151 bopd from an average of 30,608 bopd in June, after Unocal Corp. completed two significant development wells in the McArthur River field, one of which produced 7,100 bopd — the highest rate of any well in Cook Inlet history — when it came on production in early July. Prudhoe production down June production at Prudhoe Bay averaged 481,920 barrels a day, a drop of 5.69 percent from May’s average production of 511,009 bopd, the steepest percentage decline of any field in June. There was scheduled maintenance at Prudhoe June 3-9 and a 59 degree temperature June 11-12 reduced gas handling capacity on the North Slope. Prudhoe production had a shallower drop in July, averaging 476,555 bopd, down 1.11 percent from June. Prudhoe Bay production includes three satellite fields: Midnight Sun, Aurora and Polaris.
Kuparuk River production was also down, averaging 217,618 bopd in June, a 0.93 percent drop from May, and down again in July to 210,781 bopd, a drop of 3.14 percent from June. Kuparuk production includes Tarn, Tabasco and West Sak.
The steepest July decline was at Lisburne, which includes Point McIntyre, Niakuk, West Beach and North Prudhoe Bay State production. Lisburne averaged 87,145 bopd in June, down just 0.38 percent from May, but then dropped to an average of 77,896 bopd in July, down 10.6 percent from June.
Milne Point was the only field other than Alpine to see a production increase in June. The field, which includes production from Schrader Bluff and Sag River, averaged 53,879 bopd in June, up 3.16 percent from an average of 52,230 bopd in May. Milne production dropped for July, averaging 53,549 bopd, down 0.61 percent from June.
Prudhoe Bay natural gas liquids production dropped 13.8 percent in June, averaging 40,867 barrels per day after a May average of 47,410 bpd. NGL production was almost level in July at 40,100 bpd, down just 1.85 percent.
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