North Slope

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Description
A nearly flat, treeless plain, covering about 88,000 square miles extending from the foothills of the Brooks Mountain range to the Arctic Ocean.

Coastal Plain of Arctic National Wildlife Refuse (ANWR)
90 miles east of Prudhoe Bay.
1.5 million acres-coastal plain.

Prudhoe Bay is a coastal feature of the Beaufort Sea, approximately 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle, and 1,300 miles south of the North Pole. Also used generally to describe a land area of petroleum development of Alaska’s North Slope: 18th largest field in the world. Largest field in North America.

Environment
For 56 days in winter the sun never rises. Winter twilight provides sufficient light for driving without headlights during the day. Winter temperatures drop to -60F. Wind chill factor may fall as low as -135F. From mid-April to mid-August, these is daylight 24 hours a day. Summer temperatures climb to 70F and higher.

Oil discovery
Exploratory drilling on the North Slope continued for more than 20 years; many unsuccessful exploratory wells were drilled and many companies gave up the search before the Prudhoe Bay discovery well was drilled by Atlantic Richfield Company and Humble Oil and Refining Company in 1967. A confirmation well the following year proved the discovery of the large oil and gas reservoir.

North Slope oil production for all fields and pools received at Pump Station 1 (PS 1)
2002 - 365.3 million bbls
Total Cumulative, through 2002 - 13.9 billion bbls

PS 1 connections from the North Slope
Sadlerochit - Representing the major fields of the Prudhoe Bay development.
Startup 1977. (Comprised the Eastern Operating Are (EOA) connection and the Western Operating Area (WOA) connection.) The EOA connection was shutdown in January 2000 and oil from that field now feeds through the connection name now commonly called the Sadlerochit connection.
2002 receipts - 180.9 million bbls
Average per day - 495,586 bbls approx.
Total cumulative through 2002 - 10.8 billion bbls

Kuparuk - Representing the major fields of Kuparuk, Alpine, Milne Point, West Sak, Tabasco and Tarn.
Start up - Dec 1981
2002 receipts - 131 million bbls
Average per day - 358,786 bbls approx.
Total cumulative through 2002 - 2.2 billion bbls

Lisburne - Representing the major fields of Pt. McIntyre and Niakuk.
Start up - Dec 1986
2002 receipts - 24.7 million bbls
Average per day - 67,692 bbls approx.
Total cumulative through 2002 - 576 million bbls

Endicott - Representing the major fields of Endicott and Badami.
Start up - Oct 1987
2002 receipts - 10.9 million bbls
Average per day - 29, 765 bbls approx.
Total cumulative through 2002 - 444 million bbls

Northstar - Representing the major field of Northstar.
Start up - Nov 2001
2002 receipts - 17.9 million bbls
Average per day - 49,087 bbls approx.
Total cumulative through 2002 - 19 million bbls

Waterflood and enhanced oil recovery (EOR)
Methods are enhancing oil production from several North Slope fields, including Prudhoe Bay, Kuparuk, Endicott and Pt. McIntyre.

Waterflooding
A system of pumping water into the reservoir behind the produced oil to maintain reservoir pressure and ultimately recover more oil.

(EOR)
A miscible gas solvent injected into the reservoir to sweep stranded oil toward product wells.

Last updated June 23, 2004

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