Aug. 28--Chevron Corp. has restarted oil production on eight Cook Inlet platforms the company operates.

Chevron-operated platforms Anna, Bruce and Granite Point were restarted Aug. 9, the King Salmon and Dolly Varden platforms Aug. 11, the Monopod platform on Aug. 15 and Grayling platform on Aug. 17, Chevron spokeswoman Stephanie Price said.

Oil production from the Steelhead platform, which is primarily a gas-producing platform, resumed production of oil Aug 25.

About 3,000 barrels per day was produced in Cook Inlet in recent days, down from about 12,000 barrels per day before the shutdowns in April, according to state Department of Revenue data.

Chevron-operated oil platforms were shut down in April after eruptions at Mount Redoubt, a volcano on Cook Inlet's west side, forced the closure of the nearby Drift River oil loading terminal.

Oil from platforms on the Inlet's west side was loaded on tankers at the Drift River terminal. The volcano has now quieted and limited oil loading and shipping operations have resumed at the terminal. Chevron began a phased restart of Chevron's platforms Aug. 9.

Not all oil and gas platforms in Cook Inlet were shut down by the volcano. Gas production continued at the Steelhead platform, which is operated by Chevron, as well as gas production from the Tyonek platform, which is operated by ConocoPhillips and which supplies the liquefied natural gas plant near Kenai also operated by ConocoPhillips.

Two oil producing platforms operated by XTO Corp., which are connected directly with a Tesoro refinery near Kenai also continued producing oil.

One change instituted at the Drift River terminal is that crude oil produced at the west Cook Inlet platforms is stored at the Granite Point and Trading Bay production facilities and then moved via the Cook Inlet Pipe Line to Drift River and loaded directly on a tanker.

Previously, oil was held in storage tanks at the terminal. Since the storage tanks at Granite Point and Trading Bay are smaller than those at Drift River, the new arrangement will mean more frequent tanker loadings at Drift River. A tanker had called at Drift River about once a month. Under the new plan, tankers will call twice monthly.

Most oil from Drift River is moved across Cook Inlet to the Tesoro refinery near Kenai.

Tim Bradner can be reached at

tim.bradner@alaskajournal.com.

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