Alaska North Slope crude oil production averaged 467,922 barrels per day in July, up 1 percent from a June average of 463,289. Production in both months is down from a May average of 497,673, as production is impacted by planned summer maintenance projects at major fields and on the trans-Alaska oil pipeline.
The largest month-over-month increase was at the Kuparuk River field, operated by ConocoPhillips Alaska, which averaged 144,329 barrels per day, up 9.5 percent, 12,517 bpd, from a June average of 131,812, and also up from a May production average of 137,959 bpd.
Kuparuk 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.
Information for July 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 June show Nikaitchuq averaged 23,209 bpd, up 4.5 percent from a May average of 22,210 bpd, while Oooguruk averaged 13,925 bpd in June, down 4.2 percent from a May average of 14,530. In May, Nikaitchuq and Oooguruk production combined accounted for some 28 percent of the total volume reported for Kuparuk, with 96,176 bpd coming from the Kuparuk River field and its satellites.
Endicott also up
Production from the Hilcorp Alaska-operated Endicott field averaged 9,330 bpd in July, up 8.5 percent from a June average of 8,602 bpd, an increase of 728 bpd.
Endicott includes satellite production from Eider and Sag Delta, as well as from the Savant Alaska-operated Badami field. AOGCC data show that Badami averaged 962 bpd in June, up 13 percent from a May average of 851 bpd, an increase of 111 bpd.
Prudhoe, Alpine, Lisburne down
The BP Exploration-operated Prudhoe Bay field, the Slope's largest, averaged 250,099 bpd in July, down 2.1 percent from a June average of 255,399 bpd. Prudhoe Bay volumes include satellite production from Aurora, Borealis, Midnight Sun, Orion and Polaris, as well as production from the Hilcorp-operated Milne Point and Northstar fields.
AOGCC data for June show Milne Point production averaging 17,752 bpd, down 1.2 percent from a May average of 17,963 bpd, and Northstar production averaging 5,757 bpd, down 6.9 percent from a May average of 6,186 bpd.
The ConocoPhillips-operated Alpine field averaged 46,185 bpd in July, down 3.2 percent from a June average of 47,688 bpd. Alpine includes production from satellites at Fiord, Nanuq and Qannik, with the main Alpine field accounting for some 69 percent of production.
The BP-operated Lisburne field, part of greater Prudhoe Bay, averaged 17,979 bpd in July, down 9.1 percent from a June average of 19,788 bpd. Lisburne volumes include production from Niakuk, Point McIntyre and Raven.
Cook Inlet production down
AOGCC June data show Cook Inlet crude oil production averaging 18,346 bpd, down 0.8 percent, 147 bpd, from a May average of 18,492 bpd.
The largest percentage drop, 16.8 percent, was at Cook Inlet Energy's West McArthur River field, which averaged 1,206 bpd in June, down 243 bpd from a May average of 1,449 bpd.
The largest per-barrel drop was at Hilcorp Alaska's McArthur River field, Cook Inlet's largest, which averaged 5,564 bpd in June, down 5.3 percent, 311 bpd, from a May average of 5,875 bpd.
Hilcorp's Beaver Creek, Cook Inlet's smallest, averaged 123 bpd in June, down 0.5 percent from a May average of 124 bpd.
All other Cook Inlet fields showed month-over-month production increases.
The largest percentage increase, 10.7 percent, was at Cook Inlet Energy's Redoubt Shoal field, which averaged 999 bpd in June, up from a May average of 903 bpd.
The largest per-barrel increase was at Hilcorp's Swanson River field, which averaged 2,735 bpd in June, up 202 bpd from a May average of 2,533 bpd.
The Middle Ground Shoal field, currently operated by ExxonMobil subsidiary XTO, but in the process of being acquired by Hilcorp, averaged 1,914 bpd in June, up 1.9 percent from a May average of 1,878 bpd.
Hilcorp's Trading Bay field averaged 3,447 bpd in June, up 1.9 percent from a May average of 3,385 bpd, and Hilcorp's Granite Point field averaged 2,357 bpd, up 0.5 percent from a May average of 2,346 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. It has been republished with permission.