North Slope: Warm temperatures on North Slope depresses oil production in March

The pace of petroleum production on Alaska's North Slope slackened in March, down about 19,000 barrels to an average of 1.044 million barrels per day, the Alaska Department of Revenue reported April 6.

Depressed by a seasonal rise in average temperatures, ANS crude oil and natural gas liquids dipped from 1.063 million b/d in average output posted in February.

"ANS production in March suffered from warmer temperatures which caused the gas handling to be not as efficient as it is in colder weather," said Revenue economist Denise Hawes April 6. "That is really not that unusual this time of year."

Natural gas is used in enhanced oil recovery processes in some North Slope fields.

March temperatures on the arctic region averaged -8.6 degrees Fahrenheit, 3.8 degrees warmer than the State Climate Center's posted average of -12.4 degrees for the month.

Hawes said a small crude leak also caused operators to sharply cut production March 31 at the Endicott oil field. The output reduction carried over for several days into April, she added.