September North Slope production up 4.2%

Gain was from August; year-over-year volume down 1.4%; September gains were at Prudhoe, Milne Point, Greater Mooses Tooth, Badami

Kristen Nelson

Petroleum News

Alaska North Slope production averaged 448,085 barrels per day in September, up 4.19%, 18,038 bpd, from an August average of 430,047 bpd, but down 1.41% from a September 2023 average of 454,516 bpd. Crude oil averaged 399,957 bpd in September, 89.26% of the volume, up 12,134 bpd, 3.13%, from an August average of 387,824 bpd but down 1.83% from a September 2023 average of 407,407 bpd. Natural gas liquids averaged 48,128 bpd in September, 10.74% of the total, up 5,904 bpd, 13.98%, from an August average of 42,224 bpd and up 2.16% from a September 2023 average of 47,109 bpd.

Temperatures on the North Slope in September averaged 35.7 degrees F, up from an average of 46 in August, and up 3.4 degrees from a 1925-2000 mean of 32.3 degrees F.

Production data come from the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission which reports production by field and well on a month delay basis.

Temperature data are from the county time series maintained by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, which has North Slope Borough temperatures beginning in 1925.

Month-over-month increases

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.

Hilcorp Alaska's Milne Point averaged 47,226 bpd in September, up 6,050 bpd, 14.69%, from an August average of 41,176 bpd and up 11.39% from a September 2023 average of 42,398 bpd. Milne Point produces primarily from the Schrader Bluff and Kuparuk oil pools, with minor Sag River and Ugnu volumes.

ConocoPhillips Alaska-operated Kuparuk River averaged 77,854 bpd in September, up 3,560 bpd, 4.79%, from an August average of 74,294 bpd but down 1.84% from a September 2023 average of 79,316 bpd. In addition to the main Kuparuk pool, Kuparuk produces from satellites at Tabasco and Tarn, and from West Sak.

ConocoPhillips' Greater Mooses Tooth in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska averaged 14,118 bpd in September, up 2,215 bpd, 18.61%, from an August average of 11,902 bpd but down 38.01% from a September 2023 average of 22,774 bpd. GMT produces from two oil pools, Lookout at the MT6 pad, which accounted for 9.18% of September production, and Rendezvous at the MT7 pad, which accounted for 90.82% of the month's volume.

Savant Alaska's Badami averaged 2,567 bpd in September, up 1,749 bpd, 213.97%, from an August average of 818 bpd and up 184.27% from a September 2023 average of 903 bpd. Badami B1-33A, completed Sept. 11, contributed to production for 18 days in September, and in those 18 days accounted for 68% of Badami production. Savant Alaska is a Glacier Oil and Gas company.

Hilcorp Alaska's Northstar averaged 5,159 bpd in September, up 1,163 bpd, 29.11%, from an August average of 3,996 bpd but down 2.93% from a September 2023 average of 5,315 bpd. Northstar crude oil averaged 2,714 bpd in September, 52.61% of the field's total, up 445 bpd, 19.62%, from an August average of 2,269 bpd but down 12.21% from a September 2023 average of 3,092 bpd. Northstar NGLs averaged 2,445 bpd in September, 47.39% of the field's total, up 718 bpd, 41.58%, from an August average of 1,727 bpd and up 9.96% from a September 2023 average of 2,224 bpd.

Eni's Oooguruk averaged 5,950 bpd in September, up 529 bpd, 9.76%, from an August average of 5,421 bpd but down 11.81% from a September 2023 average of 6,748 bpd.

Hilcorp Alaska-operated Point Thomson averaged 4,678 bpd, up 450 bpd, 10.65%, from an August average of 4,228 bpd and up 56.65% from a September 2023 average of 2,987 bpd.

Month-over-month decreases ConocoPhillips

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

Hilcorp Alaska-operated Endicott averaged 4,168 bpd in September, down 892 bpd, 17.63%, from an August average of 5,060 bpd and down 32.94% from a September 2023 average of 6,215 bpd. Endicott crude averaged 3,964 bpd in September, 95.09% of the field's total, down 749 bpd, 15.9%, from an August average of 4,713 bpd and down 27.25% from a September 2023 average of 5,448 bpd. Endicott NGLs averaged 204 bpd in September, 4.91% of the total, down 143 bpd, 41.14%, from an August average of 347 bpd and down 73.34% from a September 2023 average of 767 bpd.

Eni's Nikaitchuq averaged 13,930 bpd in September, down 21 bpd, 0.15%, from an August average of 13,951 bpd and down 13.98% from a September 2023 average of 16,194 bpd.

Cook Inlet crude down 2.4%

Hilcorp Alaska's McArthur River averaged 2,501 bpd in September, up 110 bpd, 4.59%, from an August average of 2,392 bpd and up 16.07% from a September 2023 average of 2,155 bpd.

Hilcorp's Granite Point averaged 1,960 bpd in September, down 77 bpd, 3.77%, from an August average of 2,037 bpd and down 6.33% from a September 2023 average of 2,093 bpd.

Cook Inlet Energy's West McArthur River averaged 837 bpd in September, down 120 bpd, 12.56%, from an August average of 958 bpd but up 7.62% from a September 2023 average of 778 bpd. CIE is a Glacier Oil and Gas company.

Hilcorp's Trading Bay averaged 798 bpd in September, up 11 bpd, 1.37%, from an August average of 787 bpd but down 12.7% from a September 2023 average of 914 bpd.

Hilcorp's Swanson River averaged 730 bpd in September (660 bpd of crude and 70 bpd of NGLs), up 1 bpd, 0.12%, from an August average of 729 bpd and up 22.96% from a September 2023 average of 594 bpd.

BlueCrest's Hansen averaged 637 bpd in September, down 6 bpd, 0.88%, from an August average of 643 bpd and down 9.31% from a September 2023 average of 703 bpd.

CIE's Redoubt Shoal averaged 508 bpd in September, down 87 bpd, 14.68%, from an August average of 595 bpd but up 7.79% from a September average of 471 bpd.

Hilcorp's Beaver Creek averaged 211 bpd in September, down 31 bpd, 12.78%, from an August average of 242 bpd and down 28.57% from a September 2023 average of 295 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.

Cook Inlet natural gas up 2.38%

Volumes are calculated from Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission data, reported on a month-delay basis. For natural gas AOGCC reports measurements in thousands of cubic feet, mcf.

The largest month-over-month increase was at Hilcorp Alaska's North Cook Inlet, the most productive field in September, averaging 42,346 mcf per day, 22.11% of inlet production for the month, up 3,836 mcf per day, 9.96%, from an August average of 38,510 mcf per day and up 22.05% from a September 2023 average of 34,696 mcf per day.

Another of Hilcorp's larger fields, Swanson River, had the second-highest increase, averaging 10,416 mcf per day in September, up 2,886 mcf per day, 38.33%, from an August average of 7,530 mcf per day and up 65.34% from a September 2023 average of 6,299 mcf per day.

One of Hilcorp's smaller fields, Ivan River, averaged 5,381 mcf per day in September, up 2,061 mcf per day -- the third highest increase -- 62.07%, from an August average of 3,320 mcf per day, and up 13.34% from a September 2023 average of 4,748 mcf per day.

AIX's Kenai Loop, one of the inlet's smaller producers, averaged 1,995 mcf per day in September, up 172 mcf per day, 9.42%, from an August average of 1,823 mcf per day and up 52.16% from a September 2023 average of 1,311 mcf per day.

Hilcorp's McArthur River, another of its larger producers, averaged 11,607 mcf per day in September, up 169 mcf per day, 1.48%, from an August average of 11,438 mcf per day but down 12.63% from a September 2023 average of 13,285 mcf per day.

Hilcorp's Beaver Creek averaged 4,678 mcf per day in September, up 153 mcf per day, 3.38%, from an August average of 4,525 mcf per day but down 54.88% from a September 2023 average of 10,368 mcf per day.

Amaroq's Nicolai Creek averaged 388 mcf per day in September, up 128 mcf per day, 49.43%, from an August average of 260 mcf per day and up 42.28% from a September 2023 average of 273 mcf per day.

Hilcorp's Cannery Loop averaged 4,990 mcf per day in September, up 49 mcf per day, 0.98%, from an August average of 4,941 mcf per day, but down 2.15% from a September 2023 average of 5,099 mcf per day.

BlueCrest's Hansen averaged 997 mcf per day in September, up 18 mcf per day, 1.85%, from an August average of 978 mcf per day and up 3.35% from a September 2023 average of 964 mcf per day.

Cook Inlet Energy's two fields, Redoubt Shoal and West McArthur River, had flat production month to month, with Redoubt averaging 130 mcf per day in both September and August -- and in September 2023, and West McArthur River averaging 214 mcf per day in both September and August, although West McArthur was up 12.59% from a September 2023 average of 190 mcf per day. CIE is a Glacier Oil and Gas company.

The field with the largest month-over-month decline was Kenai, one of Hilcorp's large fields, which averaged 17,492 mcf per day in September, down 1,800 mcf per day, 9.33%, from an August average of 19,292 mcf per day, and down 9.92% from a September 2023 average of 19,418 mcf per day.

Another of Hilcorp's largest fields, Ninilchik, averaged 27,869 mcf per day in September, down 1,266 mcf per day, 4.34%, from an August average of 29,134 mcf per day, and down 24.36% from a September 2023 average of 36,845 mcf per day.

Hilcorp-operated Beluga River averaged 41,956 mcf per day in September, down 814 mcf per day, 1.9%, from an August average of 42,771 mcf per day, but up 8.38% from a September 2023 average of 38,714 mcf per day.

Hilcorp's Lewis River averaged 3,007 mcf per day in September, down 443 mcf per day, 12.84%, from an August average of 3,450 mcf per day but up 719.14% from a September 2023 average of 367 mcf per day.

Furie's Kitchen Lights averaged 9,400 mcf per day in September, down 344 mcf per day, 3.53%, from an August average of 9,745 mcf per day and down 15.04% from a September 2023 average of 11,065 mcf per day.

Hilcorp's Deep Creek averaged 3,078 mcf per day in September, down 137 mcf per day, 4.25%, from an August average of 3,215 mcf per day and down 16.46% from a September 2023 average of 3,685 mcf per day.

Hilcorp's Granite Point averaged 2,978 mcf per day in September, down 65 mcf per day, 2.13%, from an August average of 3,043 mcf per day and down 5.13% from a September 2023 average of 3,139 mcf per day.

Hilcorp's Trading Bay averaged 651 mcf per day in September, down 54 mcf per day, 7.64%, from an August average of 705 mcf per day and down 40.44% from a September 2023 average of 1,094 mcf per day.

Vision Operating's North Fork averaged 1,765 mcf per day in September, down 50 mcf per day, 2.74%, from an August average of 1,814 mcf per day and down 20.45% from a September 2023 average of 2,218 mcf per day.

Hilcorp's Nikolaevsk averaged 169 mcf per day in September, down 40 mcf per day, 19.28%, from an August average of 210 mcf per day an down 28.52% from a September 2023 average of 237 mcf per day.

Cook Inlet natural gas production peaked in 1990 at more than 850,000 mcf per day.

--KRISTEN NELSON

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