August ANS down marginally from July
North Slope production averages 478,640 bpd; Kuparuk, Colville, Milne, GMT up month-over-month; Cook Inlet production down by 2% Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
Alaska North Slope production averaged 478,640 barrels per day in August, down 0.7%, 3,388 bpd, from a July average of 482,029 bpd, but up 20% from an August 2019 average of 398,850 bpd. Temperatures last August were warm, making production facilities less efficient, and the month also saw some of the Slope’s annual turnarounds, scheduled maintenance aimed to take advantage of warmer weather.
Production volumes include crude oil and natural gas liquids. NGLs are produced at three North Slope fields: Prudhoe, Northstar and Endicott.
ANS crude averaged 432,436 bpd, accounting for 90.4% of total volume, down marginally, 328 bpd, from a July average of 432,764 bpd and up 17.4% from an August 2019 average of 368,387 bpd. In August 2019 crude accounted for 92.4% of ANS production.
NGLs averaged 46,204 bpd in August, down 6.2%, 3,061 bpd, from a July average of 49,265, and up 51.7% from an August 2019 average of 30,463. This August NGLs accounted for 9.7% of ANS production, up from 7.6% in August 2019.
Production data reported here are from the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which provides volumes by field and well on a month delay basis.
Month-over-month increases The largest month-over-month volume increase was at the ConocoPhillips Alaska-operated Kuparuk River field, which averaged 98,973 bpd in August, up 4.2%, 3,954 bpd, from a July average of 95,018 bpd but down 3.9% from an August 2019 average of 103,016 bpd.
In addition to the main Kuparuk pool, Kuparuk produces from satellites at Meltwater, Tabasco and Tarn, and from West Sak.
ConocoPhillips’ Colville River averaged 52,827 bpd in August, up 6.9%, 3,398 bpd, from a July average of 49,429 bpd and up 13.6% from an August 2019 average of 46,504 bpd.
In addition to oil from the main Alpine pool, Colville production includes satellite production from Fiord, Nanuq and Qannik.
ConocoPhillips’ Greater Mooses Tooth, on federal acreage in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, averaged 2,660 bpd in August, up 26.1%, 550 bpd, from a July average of 2,110 bpd but down 73.2% from an August 2019 average of 9,936 bpd.
Hilcorp Alaska’s Milne Point averaged 33,069 bpd in August, up 0.9%, 285 bpd, from a July average of 32,784 bpd, and up 198.8% from an August 2019 average of 11,066 bpd.
Month-over-month decreases The largest month-over-month volume drop was at Prudhoe Bay, the Slope’s largest field, now operated by Hilcorp North Slope.
Overall Prudhoe production averaged 242,688 bpd in August, down 2.9%, 7,350 bpd, from a July average of 250,038 bpd, but up 30.9% from an August 2019 average of 185,433 bpd.
Crude production averaged 200,944 bpd, down 2.1%, 4,237 bpd, from a July average of 205,181, but up 28.1% from an August 2019 average of 156,917 bpd. Crude accounted for 82.8% of Prudhoe production this August, compared to 84.6% a year ago.
Prudhoe NGL production averaged 41,744 bpd in August, down 6.9%, 3,113 bpd, from an August average of 44,857, but up 46.4% from an August 2019 average of 28,516 bpd. In August NGLs accounted for 17.2% of Prudhoe production, compared to 15.4% a year ago.
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 Nikaitchuq averaged 16,995 bpd in August, down 11.9%, 2,302 bpd, from a July average of 19,297 bpd and down 5% from an August 2019 average of 17,884 bpd.
Point Thomson, operated by ExxonMobil Production, averaged 8,213 bpd in August, down 9.4%, 853 bpd, from a July average of 9,066 bpd but up 145.5% from an August 2019 average of 3,345 bpd.
Eni’s Oooguruk averaged 6,954 bpd in August, down 7.9%, 595 bpd, from a July average of 7,549 bpd but up 17.5% from an August 2019 average of 5,918 bpd.
Northstar, operated by Hilcorp Alaska, averaged 9,116 bpd in August, down 2.6%, 240 bpd, from a July average of 9,356, but up 37.5% from an August 2019 average of 6,627 bpd.
Crude oil at Northstar accounted for 62% of the field’s production in August, 5,648 bpd, down 2.2%, 127 bpd, from a July average of 5,775 bpd but up 1% from an August 2019 average of 5,592 bpd, when crude accounted for 84.4% of production.
Northstar NGLs averaged 3,468 bpd in August, down 3.1%, 112 bpd, from a July average of 3,581 bpd, but up 234.9% from an August 2019 average of 1,035 bpd. This August NGLs accounted for 38% of Northstar production compared to 15.6% a year ago.
Endicott, also operated by Hilcorp Alaska, averaged 7,144 bpd in August, down 3.2%, 236 bpd, from a July average of 7,380 bpd, and down 6% from an August 2019 average of 7,602 bpd. Crude oil production averaged 6,153 bpd in August, down 6.1%, 401 bpd, from a July average of 6,554 bpd, and down 8% from an August 2019 average of 6,691 bpd. This August crude accounted for 86.1% of Endicott production, compared to 88% a year ago. NGL production at Endicott averaged 991 bpd in August, up 19.9%, 165 bpd, from a July average of 827 bpd and up 8.8% from an August 2019 average of 911 bpd. NGLs accounted for 13.9% of Endicott production this August, compared to 12% a year ago.
Cook Inlet down 1.7% Crude oil production from Cook Inlet averaged 11,145 bpd in August, down 1.7%, 195 bpd, from a July average of 11,341, and down 18.2% from an August 2019 average of 13,628 bpd.
Two of the inlet’s smaller fields, Redoubt Shoal and West McArthur River, have been offline since May.
There were month-over-month declines at three fields.
Hilcorp’s Granite Point averaged 2,944 bpd in August, down 6.7%, 212 bpd, from a July average of 3,155 bpd, but up 8.9% from an August 2019 average of 2,703 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Middle Ground Shoal averaged 1,153 bpd in August, down 8.6%, 108 bpd, from a July average of 1,262 bpd, and down 16.4% from an August 2019 average of 1,379 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Swanson River averaged 773 bpd in August, down 5.4%, 44 bpd, from a July average of 817 bpd, and down 20% from an August 2019 average of 966 bpd.
Four fields had small month-over-month production increases.
At Hilcorp’s McArthur River, the inlet’s largest field, production averaged 3,787 bpd in August, up 2.2%, 81 bpd, from a July average of 3,707, but down 13.8% from an August 2019 average of 4,394 bpd.
BlueCrest’s Hansen field, the Cosmopolitan project, averaged 1,022 bpd in August, up 4.2%, 41 bpd, from a July average of 982 bpd, but down 16.8% from an August 2019 average of 1,230 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Trading Bay averaged 1,311 bpd in August, up 2%, 25 bpd, from a July average of 1,286 bpd, but down 4.9% from an August 2019 average of 1,379 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Beaver Creek averaged 154 bpd in August, up 16.4%, 22 bpd, from a July average of 132 bpd, but down 16.4% from an August 2019 average of 362 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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