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March ANS down marginally from February
Colville River unit has largest month-over-month increase; Greater Mooses Tooth unit in NPR-A largest month-over-month decrease
Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
Alaska North Slope production averaged 481,347 barrels per day in March, down 557 bpd, 0.1%, from a February average of 481,904 bpd and down 0.7% from a March 2023 average of 484,939 bpd.
Crude made up 88% of the March volume, averaging 423,728 bpd, up 269 bpd, 0.1%, from a February average of 423,459 bpd but down 0.7% from a March 2023 average of 426,551 bpd. Natural gas liquids accounted for 12% of the March volume, averaging 57,619 bpd, down 826 bpd, 1.4%, from a February average of 58,445 bpd and down 1.3% from a March 2023 average of 58,387 bpd.
The North Slope Borough temperature averaged -6.2 degrees F in March, up from an average of -8 degrees F in February and down from a March 2023 average of -1.8 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 gains The largest month-over-month gain was at ConocoPhillips Alaska's Colville River unit, which averaged 37,098 bpd in March, up 1,147 bpd, 3.2% from a February average of 35,951 bpd and up 4.3% from a March 2023 average of 35,581 bpd. There were noticeable gains at the CD4 pad, which represented 34.8% of CRU production in March, up from 24% in February, with two wells at the pad, CD4-587 and CD4-536, each averaging more than 3,000 bpd. Both produce from the Qannik oil pool, as do the other two highest producing wells at CD4.
In addition to oil from the main Alpine pool, Colville includes production from the Nanuq and Qannik oil pools.
The Hilcorp North Slope-operated Prudhoe Bay unit averaged 274,985 bpd in March, up 895 bpd, 0.3%, from a February average of 274,089 bpd but down 0.9% from a March 2023 average of 277,431 bpd. Crude production from Prudhoe averaged 220,519 bpd in March, 80.2% of the unit's volume, up 1,621 bpd, 0.7%, from a February average of 218,898 bpd, but down 1% from a March 2023 average of 222,699 bpd. Prudhoe NLGs averaged 54,466 bpd in March, 19.8% of the volume, down 726 bpd, 1.3%, from a February average of 55,192 bpd and down 0.5% from a March 2023 average of 54,732 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 averaged 5,639 bpd in March, up 478 bpd, 9.3%, from a February average of 5,161 bpd, but down 19% from a March 2023 average of 6,959 bpd.
Hilcorp Alaska's Milne Point averaged 42,676 bpd in March, up 294 bpd, 0.7%, from a February average of 42,382 bpd and up 9.5% from a March 2023 average of 38,974 bpd. Milne Point produces primarily from the Schrader Bluff and Kuparuk oil pools, with minor Sag River and Ugnu volumes.
Month-over-month declines ConocoPhillips Alaska's Greater Mooses Tooth in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska averaged 16,578 bpd in March, down 2,910 bpd, 14.9%, from a February average of 19,488 bpd but up 35.8% from a March 2023 average of 12,211 bpd. GMT produces from two oil pools, Lookout at the MT6 Pad and Rendezvous at the MT7 Pad, with March volumes down month-over-month from both pools.
Hilcorp Alaska-operated Endicott averaged 6,002 bpd in March, down 241 bpd, 3.9%, from a February average of 6,243 bpd but up 1.4% from a March 2023 average of 5,919 bpd. Endicott crude, 86.6% of the field's volume, averaged 5,196 bpd in March, down 266 bpd, 4.9%, from a February average of 5,461 bpd, and down 0.7% from a March 2023 average of 5,232 bpd. Endicott NGLs, 13.4% of its volume, averaged 806 bpd in March, up 24 bpd, 3.1%, from a February average of 782 bpd and up 17.5% from a March 2023 average of 686 bpd.
Hilcorp Alaska's Northstar averaged 5,363 bpd in March, down 132 bpd, 2.4%, from a February average of 5,496 bpd and down 18.4% from a March 2023 average of 6,572 bpd. Northstar crude, 56.2% of the field's volume, averaged 3,017 bpd in March, down 8 bpd, 0.3%, from a February average of 3,025 bpd and down 16.3% from a March 2023 average of 3,604 bpd. Northstar NGLs, 43.8% of its volume, averaged 2,346 bpd in March, down 124 bpd, 5%, from a February average of 2,471 bpd and down 21% from a March 2023 average of 2,968 bpd.
The ConocoPhillips Alaska-operated Kuparuk River unit averaged 78,454 bpd in March, down 64 bpd, 0.1%, from a February average of 78,517 bpd, but up 0.3% from a March 2023 average of 78,252 bpd. In addition to the main Kuparuk pool, Kuparuk produces from satellites at Tabasco and Tarn, and from West Sak.
Savant Alaska's Badami averaged 844 bpd in March, down 17 bpd, 1.9%, from a February average of 861 bpd but up 67.2% from a March 2023 average of 505 bpd. Savant is a Glacier Oil and Gas company.
Eni's Nikaitchuq averaged 13,708 bpd in March, down 7 bpd, 0.1%, from a February average of 13,716 bpd and down 16.3% from a March 2023 average of 16,369 bpd.
Cook Inlet crude up 3.9% in March Cook Inlet crude production averaged 9,203 bpd in March, up 342 bpd, 3.9%, from a February average of 8,861 bpd and up 5.2% from a March 2023 average of 8,750 bpd. With the exception of Swanson River, which produces a small volume of NGLs, all Cook Inlet liquids production is crude oil.
The largest month-over-month increase was at Cook Inlet Energy's West McArthur River unit, which averaged 1,063 bpd in March, up 189 bpd, 21.6%, from a February average of 874 bpd and up 178.1% from a March 2023 average of 382 bpd. West McArthur River produces from the WMR oil pool with three WMRU wells and from the Hemlock and Tyonek oil pools with the Sword 1 well. CIE is a Glacier Oil and Gas company.
Hilcorp Alaska's McArthur River, the inlet's most prolific oil field, averaged 2,564 bpd in March, up 57 bpd, 2.3%, from a February average of 2,507 bpd but down 8.3% from a March 2023 average of 2,795 bpd.
Hilcorp Alaska's Trading Bay averaged 960 bpd in March, up 50 bpd, 5.4%, from a February average of 911 bpd and up 19.1% from a March 2023 average of 806 bpd.
Hilcorp's Middle Ground Shoal, which was last in regular production in the fall of 2021 prior to discovery of a fuel gas line leak, showed one day of production in March, a total of 1,513 barrels, averaging 49 bpd for the month. The significance of this production, which came from wells on both the A and C platforms, is not known.
CIE's Redoubt Shoal averaged 679 bpd in March, up 17 bpd, 2.6%, from a February average of 662 bod and up 26.5% from a March 2023 average of 537 bpd.
Hilcorp's Swanson River averaged 800 bpd in March (731 bpd of crude and 69 bpd of NGLs and propane), up 11 bpd, 1.4%, from a February average of 789 bpd and up 4% from a March 2023 average of 769 bpd.
Hilcorp's Granite Point averaged 2,122 bpd in March, down 18 bpd, 0.8%, from a February average of 2,140 bpd and down 7% from a March 2023 average of 2,282 bpd.
BlueCrest's Hansen averaged 682 bpd in March, down 8 bpd, 1.1%, from a February average of 689 bpd and down 6.2% from a March 2023 average of 727 bpd.
Hilcorp's Beaver Creek averaged 284 bpd in March, down 5 bpd, 1.6%, from a February average of 289 bpd and down 37% from a March 2023 average of 451 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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