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Cenovus' Foster Creek, Christina Lake Lead May Oil Sands Performance, TPH Energy Says

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May production estimates pointed to strong performance at Cenovus' (CVE) Foster Creek and Christina Lake assets, while other major oil sands operations produced mixed results, TPH Energy said in a Thursday note.

TPH Energy estimated combined production at Foster Creek and Christina Lake averaged about 603,000 barrels per day in May, lifting the quarter-to-date average to about 602,000 b/d, above its second-quarter forecast of 576,000 b/d.

Foster Creek increased about 8,000 b/d from April to roughly 223,000 b/d, while Christina Lake added about 13,000 b/d to 379,000 b/d.

Sunrise also rose about 6,000 b/d, lifting its quarter-to-date average to about 65,000 b/d versus TPH Energy's 60,000 b/d estimate.

Imperial Oil's Cold Lake production declined about 9,000 b/d from April to an estimated 142,000 b/d. Its quarter-to-date average reached about 147,000 b/d, below TPH Energy's second-quarter forecast of 156,000 b/d.

Suncor Energy's (SU) Firebag production fell about 111,000 b/d to roughly 105,000 b/d ahead of a planned turnaround.

However, its quarter-to-date average remained at about 161,000 b/d, slightly above TPH Energy's 159,000 b/d estimate, while MacKay River averaged about 36,000 b/d versus the firm's 35,000 b/d forecast.

Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) posted mixed operating results. Kirby increased about 2,000 b/d to 60,000 b/d, lifting its quarter-to-date average to about 59,000 b/d compared with TPH Energy's 53,000 b/d forecast.

Primrose Wolf Lake rose about 1,000 b/d to 74,000 b/d but stayed below the firm's 91,000 b/d outlook, while Jackfish rebounded about 30,000 b/d to 145,000 b/d, bringing its quarter-to-date average to about 130,000 b/d versus the projected 132,000 b/d.

Price: $24.58, Change: $-0.11, Percent Change: -0.45%

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