Alaska North Slope crude oil production started September at 359,150 barrels but ended the month at 533,561 barrels, a clear indication that the summer maintenance season has wound down and production levels are getting back to a seasonal norm.
The average for September was 496,388 barrels per day, up 25.44 percent from an August average of 395,726 bpd, and approaching the June average of 500,525 bpd.
The largest month-over-month increase was at the BP Exploration (Alaska)-operated Prudhoe Bay field, the Slope's largest, which averaged 270,336 bpd in September, up 58.8 percent from an August average of 170,268 bpd, an increase of slightly more than 100,000 bpd.
Prudhoe Bay production includes satellite production from Aurora, Borealis, Midnight Sun, Orion, Polaris, Sag River and Schrader Bluff. It also includes production from the Milne Point and Northstar fields, currently operated by BP but in the process of being transferred to Hilcorp Alaska, which will be the majority owner at Northstar and a 50 percent working interest owner at Milne Point once that sale closes.
August production at Milne Point averaged 18,744 bpd, down 3.2 percent from a July average of 19,361 bpd. August production at Northstar averaged 8,394 bpd, down 4 percent from a July average of 8,747 bpd.
Information for September 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.
Endicott, Alpine also up
Other fields with month-over-month production increases include the BP-operated Endicott field and the ConocoPhillips Alaska-operated Alpine field.
Endicott, which includes production from Sag Delta and Eider, and the Savant Alaska-operated Badami field, averaged 8,932 bpd in September, up 6.7 percent from an August average of 8,371 bpd. Hilcorp will also take over as Endicott operator once the sale of BP properties is finalized.
August AOGCC figures show Badami averaged 1,019 bpd, down 2.3 percent from a July average of 1,044 bpd. Savant Alaska is in the process of being acquired by Miller Energy, parent company of Cook Inlet Energy,
Alpine production averaged 47,501 bpd in September, up 5.4 percent from an August average of 45,086 bpd. Alpine includes satellites at Fiord, Nanuq and Qannik. AOGCC figures show that the main Alpine field averaged 30,762 bpd in August; Fiord averaged 11,465 bpd; Nanuq averaged 1,178 bpd; and Qannik averaged 1,678 bpd.
Kuparuk, Lisburne down
The ConocoPhillips-operated Kuparuk River field, second largest on the Slope, averaged 145,006 bpd in September, down 1.14 percent from an August average of 146,674 bpd. Kuparuk production includes satellite production from Meltwater, Northeast West Sak, Tabasco, Tarn and West Sak, as well as from the Eni-operated Nikaitchuq field and the Caelus Alaska-operated Oooguruk field.
Data from the AOGCC shows that Oooguruk averaged 15,910 bpd in August, up 3.2 percent from an average of 15,414 bpd in July. Nikaitchuq averaged 22,944 bpd in August, down 2.5 percent from a July average of 23,522 bpd.
BP-operated Lisburne averaged 24,613 bpd in September, down 2.8 percent from an August average of 25,327 bpd. Lisburne, part of greater Prudhoe Bay, includes production from Niakuk, Point McIntyre and Raven.
Cook Inlet up 4.3 percent
Cook Inlet crude oil production averaged 18,079 bpd in August, up 4.25 percent from a July average of 17,343. This is the first time in recent years that Cook Inlet production has averaged more than 18,000 bpd.
Of the three Cook Inlet crude oil producers -- Cook Inlet Energy, Hilcorp Alaska and XTO -- both Hilcorp and XTO had month-over-month production increases. Hilcorp, which averaged 13,335 bpd in August, was up 5.6 percent from July; XTO at 1,946 bpd was up 8.7 percent from July. Cook Inlet Energy averaged 2,799 bpd in August, down 4.5 percent from July.
Half of the Cook Inlet fields had month-over-month production increases: The Hilcorp-operated Beaver Creek field averaged 124 bpd, up 16.5 percent from 107 bpd in July; Granite Point, also Hilcorp operated, averaged 2,702 bpd in August, up 1.4 percent from 2,665 bpd in July; the Hilcorp-operated McArthur River field, Cook Inlet's largest, averaged 5,670 bpd in August, up 19.9 percent from 4,730 bpd in July; and the XTO-operated Middle Ground Shoal averaged 1,946 bpd in August, up 8.7 percent from 1,790 bpd in July.
Remaining Cook Inlet fields had month-over-month production declines: The Cook Inlet Energy-operated Redoubt Shoal field averaged 1,031 bpd in August, down 3.4 percent from a July average of 1,068 bpd; the Hilcorp-operated Swanson River field averaged 2,188 bpd in August, down 1.8 percent from a July average of 2,229 bpd; the Hilcorp-operated Trading Bay field averaged 2,651 bpd in August, down 8.3 percent from a July average of 2,892 bpd; and the Cook Inlet Energy-operated West McArthur River field averaged 1,767 bpd in August, down 5 percent from a July average of 1,862 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.
This story originally appeared in Petroleum News and has been republished here with permission.