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ANS up 2% month-over-month, 4% from 2016 Crude output averaged 565,057 bpd in March, up from 553,434 bpd in February, and up from 554,852 bpd in March 2016 Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
Alaska North Slope crude oil production averaged 565,057 barrels per day in March, up 2.1 percent from an average of 553,434 bpd in February and up 3.9 percent from a March 2016 average of 543,735 bpd.
The largest month-over-month and year-over-year increases were for Endicott, operated by Hilcorp Alaska. Endicott production includes satellite production from Eider, Minke and Sag Delta, as well as volumes from Badami, operated by Glacier Oil & Gas subsidiary Savant, and from the ExxonMobil Production-operated Point Thomson field.
Endicott averaged 16,077 bpd in March, up 51.2 percent from 10,632 bpd in February, and up 92.4 percent from 8,358 bpd in March 2016. The majority of that variability would appear to be from Point Thomson, which came online in April 2016.
Information for March comes from the Alaska Department of Revenue’s Tax Division which reports North Slope oil production consolidated by major production centers and provides daily production and monthly averages. More detailed data, including Cook Inlet and individual North Slope fields and pools, is reported by the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission on a month-delay basis.
AOGCC data for February show Badami averaging 888 bpd, down 2.8 percent from a January average of 913 bpd, while Point Thomson averaged 741 bpd in February, down 90.3 percent from a January average of 7,634 bpd. Daily February volumes from the Tax Division appear to indicate that Point Thomson production was variable over that month, with daily Endicott volumes, which were in the 8,000-bpd range before Point Thomson came online, in the 9,000-11,000 bpd range for most of the month, rising to 19,758 Feb. 28. In March, Tax Division data show Endicott peaked at 20,428 bpd March 13, was above 20,000 on seven days and only dropped below 10,000 bpd twice during the month, indicating Point Thomson was generally producing in the 10,000 bpd range during most of March.
Other North Slope fields The BP Exploration (Alaska)-operated Prudhoe Bay field, the North Slope’s largest, averaged 315,395 bpd in March, down 1 percent from a February average of 318,472 bpd, but up 2.4 percent from a March 2016 average of 307,975 bpd. Prudhoe volumes include satellite production from Aurora, Borealis, Midnight Sun, Orion, Polaris, Sag River, Schrader Bluff and Ugnu, as well as production from the Hilcorp Alaska-operated Milne Point and Northstar fields.
AOGCC data show Milne Point averaged 19,652 bpd in February, up 3.7 percent from a January average of 18,946 bpd, while Northstar averaged 5,553 bpd in February, down 2.6 percent from a January average of 5,700 bpd.
The ConocoPhillips Alaska-operated Kuparuk River field averaged 145,828 bpd in March, up 2.2 percent from a February average of 142,676 bpd, and up 3.1 percent from a March 2016 average of 141,397 bpd.
Kuparuk volumes include satellite production from Meltwater, Tabasco, Tarn and West Sak, as well as production from the Eni-operated Nikaitchuq field and the Caelus Alaska-operated Oooguruk field.
AOGCC data show Nikaitchuq averaged 20,568 bpd in February, up 0.8 percent from a January average of 20,405 bpd, while Oooguruk averaged 14,280 bpd, up 1.3 percent from a January average of 14,098 bpd.
BP-operated Lisburne, part of Greater Prudhoe Bay, averaged 24,479 bpd in March, up 6.6 percent from a February average of 22,966 bpd, but down 1.1 percent from a March 2016 average of 24,758 bpd. Lisburne includes production from Niakuk, Point McIntyre and Raven.
The ConocoPhillips-operated Alpine field averaged 63,278 bpd in March, up 7.8 percent from a February average of 58,688 bpd, and up 3.3 percent from a March 2016 average of 61,247 bpd. Alpine includes satellite production from Fiord, Nanuq and Qannik.
Cook Inlet AOGCC data show Cook Inlet production averaged 14,042 bpd in February, up 1.3 percent from a January average of 13,862 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Beaver Creek field averaged 183 bpd in February, down 3.5 percent from 190 bpd in January.
Granite Point, also operated by Hilcorp, averaged 2,458 bpd in February, up 1.1 percent from a January average of 2,431 bpd.
Hansen, the Cosmopolitan project, operated by BlueCrest, Cook Inlet’s newest and smallest oil field, averaged 150 bpd in February, down 2.7 percent from a January average of 154 bpd.
Hilcorp’s McArthur River field, Cook Inlet’s largest, averaged 3,802 bpd in February, up 2.9 percent from a January average of 3,697 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Middle Ground Shoal averaged 1,747 bpd in February, down 0.2 percent from a January average of 1,750 bpd.
Redoubt Shoal, operated by Glacier Oil & Gas, averaged 675 bpd in February, down 15.8 percent from a January average of 801 bpd.
Hilcorp’s Swanson River field averaged 1,989 bpd in February, up 8.8 percent from a January average of 1,828 bpd.
Trading Bay, also a Hilcorp field, averaged 1,611 bpd in February, down 4.1 percent from a January average of 1,680 bpd.
Glacier Oil & Gas’ West McArthur River field averaged 1,428 bpd in February, up 7.3 percent from a January average of 1,331 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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