In the 83 days from mid-January to the time the snow and ice melted in mid-April, 680 workers moved 34,000 short tons (31,000,000kg) to the seven camps, and built five more camps and five temporary airstrips. Redesigning the Pipeline. 1969 February 10: TAPS announces plans to build a hot oil pipeline from Prudhoe Bay in the Arctic Circle to Valdez on Alaska's south coast. [40][41] As a fellow welder stated at the time, "Take your typical 798 pipeline welder and feed him a few drinks, and he'll probably tell you that he's God's greatest gift to welding. * Answer near the bottom of this page State of Alaska Division of Oil and Gas http://www.dog.dnr.state.ak.us/oil/ The Alaska Pipeline was built by a cortsortium of seven companies. [51] The most notable of these was in February 1975, after a series of serious truck accidents on the Elliott Highway, which connected to the newly built Dalton. On June 20, 1977, the 800-mile pipeline began carrying oil from Prudhoe Bay oilfields to the Port of Valdez at Prince William Sound. Trans-Alaska Pipeline System - Wikipedia It cost $8 billion, and when it was built in the 1970s, . The last pipeline weld was completed on May 31, 1977. [107], In addition to removing its camps, Alyeska also had to dispose of the heavy equipment used to build the pipeline. 4 years ago By CHARLES CANTRELL Contributing Writer MASSIVE PROJECT: This photo shows the enormous size of the 400-mile above ground portion of the Alyeska Pipeline over the permafrost terrain, which allowed crude oil from Alaska to be transported to the lower 48 states. [54], The Laborers International Union represented the bulk of the less-skilled labor on the project. Conversely, work on those two projects could proceed during the winter, when pipelaying could not take place due to the frozen ground. Trans-Alaska Pipeline | pipeline, Alaska, United States The pipeline is 800 miles long and four feet in diameter. Alaskan Pipeline, Building of | Encyclopedia.com Barges lowered this section of the pipeline underwater and weighted it with concrete or steel anchors to overcome buoyancy. At war's end, the line fell into disuse, and most the pipe has been salvaged out in recent years. These crews were followed by another group of surveyors and engineers who determined whether the pipeline could be laid in the planned spot, or if it had to be moved because of permafrost, soft ground, or other considerations. The highway construction was charged to the federal and state governments and was supposed to be cost plus. Thawing Permafrost has Damaged the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and Poses an Alaska gas pipeline - Wikipedia Life during the pipeline construction project was characterized by long hours, poor conditions, and limited entertainment compensated by excellent benefits and pay. This first inspection crew was followed by a second, and others patrolled the pipeline regularly as the oil front passed down the line. [24] Seven were built along the pipeline south of the Yukon, and one was built at each of the 12 pump stations along the length of the route. In 1975, surveyors discovered the pass was filled with permafrost and glacial soils. -delivers 17% of the US domestic oil production. The oil began arriving 38 days later. Thirty-two Alyeska or contract workers were killed during the construction project. Last years production was over 75 percent less than the states peak production of more than 2 million b/d in 1988., The decline in the states oil production has decreased deliveries in the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, EIA added. But then the welders from 798 starting cooking their own lunches (against camp rules) using steaks taken from the kitchen freezers on makeshift grills whose burners were their acetylene torches. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps, Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. Though of a smaller scale than the Exxon Valdez disaster, the largest spill in the history of the pipeline occurred in 2006 when a transit pipe at BPs Prudhoe Bay facility ruptured. There were no more steak nights one to two times a week and the Australian rock lobster tails disappeared. In 1976, workers' pay averaged between $11 and $18 per hour, depending on the position. Iran Map courtesy USGS. Your Amazon purchase benefits the American Oil & Gas Historical Society. By the end of April, the first 1,800 feet (550m) of elevated pipeline also was built in the same area. The most notable of these are over the Yukon River and the Tanana River. [89] The controversy continued, however, as Kelley's lawsuit moved forward, a Ketchbaw manager was found dead of cyanide poisoning, and photographs of welds were stolen from a pump station construction camp. The review produced a list of 3,955 questionable welds10 percent of 1975's work. [35] Members of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing, Pipefitting and Sprinkler Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada performed all welding that was not a part of the pipeline itself, including pump stations, feeder pipelines, and work at the Valdez Marine Terminal. Back in the early 1970s, government scientists insisted that parts of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline be built above ground with refrigerated supports.The pipeline's oil is hot and, if buried . https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/alaskan-pipeline-building, "Alaskan Pipeline, Building of The resulting spray mixed with ambient air and was ignited by a stray spark. The pipeline was 97.5 percent complete, the pump stations were 92 percent done, and the marine terminal stood at 83 percent. [69] The large amounts of money in the pipeline camps and a lack of entertainment caused frequent gambling games that sometimes involved tens of thousands of dollars. Trans-Alaska Pipeline Controversy: Technology . Alaskas total oil production in 2013 was nearly 188 million barrels, or about seven percent of total U.S. production. Twelve sidebooms (bulldozers with side-mounted cranes) together lifted 1,900 feet (580m) of pipe, which was laid in a trench dug perpendicular to the riverbed. Current Time. It was important for the United States to have a domestic source of oil to offset the high rise in foreign oil and the Alaska Pipeline fulfilled that obligation. LIQUID GOLD Discovery of large petroleum deposits at Prudhoe Bat in Alaska's North Slope region in 1958 proved to be an economic bonanza. A preliminary study outlined problems of constructing a pipeline across the state. Incorporated: 1951 Recommended Reading: The Great Alaska Pipeline (1988); Amazing Pipeline Stories: How Building the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Transformed Life in Americas Last Frontier(1997);Oil and Gas Pipeline Fundamentals (1993); Oil: From Prospect to Pipeline (1971). [19] A massive airlift was created to supply the road construction effort; more than 700 flights per day170,000 in totalwere required before the road was finished on September 29. There were multiple levels of eligibility, based on the amount of seniority a person had. [45] Repeated allegations of links to organized crime were never backed up by evidence, but two Teamsters leaders were murdered in 1976 while investigating drug activity on the pipeline project. Chemical | Civil | Earth Resources | Mechanical The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System was the largest private construction project of its time. [26] A typical pump station camp cost $6 million to build, while the typical mainline camps cost about $10 million to build. Retrieved June 30, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/alaskan-pipeline-building. #1 Do You Know When The Alaska Pipeline Was Built? After arriving at the questionable weld under the Sagavanirktok River, an ultrasound was taken on the inside of the pipe. [116] By June 1975, that figure had again risen to $6.4 billion. The remainder of the pipeline runs underground or under water. [94], At the opposite end of the pipeline, just north of Valdez, engineers coped with the difficulties posed by Keystone Canyon. [117] In July 1976, amid the second year of construction, the project's cost was raised to $7.7 billion. Construction on the $8 billion pipeline began on March 27, 1975. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline, expected to be completed in 1972, will carry 600,000 barrels of oil a day across Alaska. By September, more than 3,000 of the questionable welds had been redone or certified as safe. The release can be accidental and due to, National Iranian Oil Company [79] In his biggest decision, he canceled Bechtel's contract as management contractor because he felt the company was adding too much bureaucracy between Alyeska and the pipeline contractors. [110] The first oil arrived in Valdez on July 28, 1977, at 11:02p.m.[102] The oil was only 45F (7C), but it gradually warmed as the system reached a thermal equilibrium. In warm permafrost and other areas where heat might cause undesirable thawing, the supports contain two, two-inch pipes called heat pipes.. [68] Teamster Jerry Thornhill, a typical worker, wrote to Money magazine, asking for advice. [2] The surveyed route passed through several mountain passes: Atigun Pass, Isabel Pass, Thompson Pass, and Keystone Canyon. Once the word was out, other companies flocked to the area. It will stay onstream then forever 'forever' being the life of the oil field. A highway was built to transport manpower (20,000 people at the height of construction) and supplies along the construction route. [115] In October 1973, Alyeska further refined its figures and anticipated a cost of between $3.1 billion and $3.5 billion, with the potential for a billion more. Bulldozers dug trenches in the spring of 1974, and sideboom tractors laid the pipe, long sections of which were welded together to form a continuous conduit, which was tested under hydraulic pressure to ensure it could handle the traffic of oil. "Alaska: Rising Northern Star." As air traffic increased, Alyeska arranged for the use of Fort Wainwright's airfield to relieve the burden on Fairbanks International Airport. Last weld was completed May 31, 1977. The New York Times called the auction of surplus equipment "one of the biggest going-out-of-business sales in history. To protect against forward-and-backward shocks and to allow for thermal expansion, the pipeline wasn't designed as a straight line. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. Priority was given to hiring Alaska residents and Alaska Natives,[28] as well as females, who were considered a minority, and no strikes were permitted by a labor agreement between Alyeska and the unions. [4] In 1969, the unincorporated Trans-Alaska Pipeline System group drilled a series of core samples north of the Brooks Range that demonstrated how ubiquitous the permafrost was along the route. Because oil is lighter than water, the pipeline would float without the concrete jackets. The state granted permits allowing a pipeline width of 50 to 200 feet (15 to 61 meters), maintaining restrictions in accordance to conservation laws. Crude oil production in Alaska averaged 448,000 barrels per day (b/d) in 2020, the lowest level of production since 1976, the agency noted in its April 2021 Today in Energy report. The leader of Ford's team ordered 31 of the welds to be dug up and re-done. Proof of the integrity of those three questionable yet inaccessible welds were evaluated by a unique solution in Section Five north of the Brooks Range. This forced the design of an elevated pipeline, which was tested in a 1,000 feet (300m) loop built near Barrow. Alyeska estimated the total cost of redoing the welds to be $55 million. Before actual construction could begin, crews selected the route through aerial mapping and ground surveys. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. [90] Alyeska began a review of all 30,800 welds that had been done in 1975, and submitted its report to the Interior Department in April 1976. And the wealth was shared. Is now the time for Alaska's massive liquified natural gas line project? Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) | ConocoPhillips Alaska Alaska Wants to Let an Oil Giant Keep Secrets From Its Own People By the end of November, only 34 welds were still at issue. Bidders were allowed one year to carry out exploration work, decide the value of the leases offered, and place a bid. Cooper, Bryan. [8], The Pipeline Authorization Act required the pipeline to be able to withstand the maximum earthquake ever recorded in the area it was built. Ayatollah Taleghani Street [30] According to the labor contract, every worker was guaranteed 40 hours' pay per week, even if weather made work impossible. The system includes the 800-mile-long pipeline, which runs from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez, and the Valdez Marine Terminal, where oil is loaded onto tankers for shipment to market. It runs from Prudhoe Bay, on Alaska's northern Arctic Circle Coast, and zigzags southwest across nearly 800 miles to the seaport of Valdez on the Gulf of Alaska. [15] As required by the Pipeline Authorization Act, a ballast-water filtration system had to be designed as well. . The final weld was completed at Pumping Station 3, near Atigun Pass, on May 31, 1977, and oil began to flow through the pipeline on June 20. Construction of the pipeline system took place between 1975 and 1977. [109], As the oil advanced through the pipeline, it was paced by a series of inspectors who traveled along the pipeline route to ensure the weight of the oil did not cause the pipeline to settle or create problems on bridges as the unbalanced weight of the oil front passed over them. [64] In general, however, little time was available for recreation because of the long hours worked by most people. [11] To protect against corrosion in these wet environments, the pipeline was designed with cathodic protection. In several placeseither out of fear of disturbing the river or because of the river's characteristicspipeline bridges were constructed. Re-examining the welds would be extremely difficult, since those sections of pipeline were sealed (and in many cases buried). Second is ConocoPhillips Transportation Alaska Inc. with 28.29 percent, followed in order by ExxonMobil (20.34 percent), Koch Alaska Pipeline Company (3.08 percent), and Unocal Pipeline Company (1.36 percent). The first section of pipe was laid in 1975 after more than five years of legal and political arguments. Under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement (1971), aboriginal ownersnative Alaskans and Eskimoswere accorded rights to the land, and eight oil companies paid for the privilege of working this land. Is enough being done to protect the Trans Alaska Pipeline from climate TAPS 50% complete, employing a peak work force of 28,072. Alaska: The Last Frontier. [96] Because of loose soil found at the job site, enormous retaining walls had to be constructed to secure the ground below some of the 58 structures that were completed by the end of the year. [98], Although the project made strides toward completion in 1976, it did not meet Moolin's goal of having all pipe installed, insulated, and tested by winter. The standardized structures could house 28 people, and two typically were bolted together to create two "wings". FACTS. Interior Department environmental impact study resulted in about 200 technical and environmental stipulations in the right-of-way agreements signed by the oil companies, the State of Alaska, and the Interior Department. Most of the pump stations had been turned over to operating personnel by construction workers, and environmental mitigation and cleanup was in full swing as Alyeska repaired tundra damage caused by construction. [1] Small survey parties physically visited the route and hammered stakes into the ground. [56] As one Laborer put it, they were people "simply looking for the easiest way possible of getting through the day. [79], In October, snow and cold weather brought most of the pipeline laying to a halt for the year. In 1902, the Alaska Railroad began to be built, which would connect from Seward to Fairbanks by 1914, though Alaska still does not have a railroad connecting it to the lower 48 states today. New York: William Morrow & Co., Inc., 1973. With. Peak flow through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System amounts to 1.2 million barrels of crude oil daily. Oil exploration experts projected Alaskan oil reserves on the same scale as the Middle East giants. [20], To supervise the construction of the pipeline, Alyeska appointed two construction management contractors to oversee all the other subcontractors in the project. [37] To be hired on the pipeline project, welders had to go through an intensive certification process that involved a series of test welds. [43][49][50] In other instances, the Teamsters used their position to extract concessions from Alyeska and the subcontractors. Chastain manages the $39-billion Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas project, which would construct an 800-mile pipeline to send North Slope natural gas to Nikiski, where it would be liquified, shipped . Alaska oil production peaked in 1988 at 738 million barrels of oil, about 25 percent of U.S. oil production, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Alaska Oil & Gas Association - Industry History - AOGA Because construction was slumping in the United States at large, the pipeline drew workers from across the country. The American Oil & Gas Historical Society (AOGHS) preserves U.S. petroleum history. Vacant barracks were converted into housing, and vacant offices were given to oil workers. Trans-Alaska pipeline under threat from thawing permafrost Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Employment rose from 12,000 workers in the spring to more than 21,000 in the summer and down to 7,000 at Christmas. National Iran, Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd. We didn't really have our organization set until July, and it wasn't working at top effectiveness until October. U.S. petroleum history provides a context for understanding how to meet Americas future energy needs. The first pipe of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System was laid on March 27, 1975. The oilfield proved to be the largest in North America at more than 213,500 acres (exceeding the East Texas Oilfield, discovered in 1930). [114] By January 1970, the projected cost had risen from $900 million to $2 billion. The 2,290-foot (700m) E. L. Patton Yukon River Bridge was not completed until October 1979;[103] until then, traffic utilized a series of ferries across the river. [55] Laborers Local 942 out of Fairbanks was the most prominent Laborers group on the project, and because no special skills were required for the jobs it filled, the Laborers Union attracted most of the people who came to Alaska specifically for the pipeline project. [77] The Engineering News-Record reported "He demands total dedication, saying, 'Your wife had a baby; so what?'" [34], The welders who worked on the pipeline itself came from Pipeliners Local 798 out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, which specialize in providing welders for large-scale pipeline projects. [100] Associated-Green, which had performed its construction tasks well, was assigned the job of finishing the final touches on the main pipeline. A main concern in constructing the pipeline was to protect it from erosion. At the end of 1975, Alyeska terminated Ketchbaw's contract and took responsibility for analyzing weld X-rays itself. Once oil arrives there, tankers carry it primarily to West Coast and to Japanese refineries. [105] All told, 20 camps went up for sale. A U.S. The solution was to design a reinforced, insulated ditch to lay the pipeline in. These holes were drilled and filled with a mix of water, gravel and dirt before a VSM was dropped into each hole. Fax: (21) 640-4132 Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. But it wasn't until the mid-twentieth century that the significance of Alaska's oil reserves were fully realized. Atlantic Richfield Company, British Petroleum (now BP PLC), and Humble Oil (a subsidiary of Exxon Corporation) agreed to build a pipeline that would connect the North Slope to Valdez, an ice-free port on Prince William Sound (an embayment of the Gulf of Alaska). "As oil cools down, it becomes thicker", explained one worker. [72] Several forty-foot sections of pipe were welded together and coated in concrete prior to the ceremony. At the same time, the oilproducing nations of the Middle East determined to take control of the oil trade. Alaska gas line project left out of Biden administration's massive The Alaska Steam Coal & Petroleum Syndicate produced the oil near the remote settlement of Katalla on Alaskas southern coastline. The Alaska corporation commonly known as Alyeska Pipeline Company was founded in 1970 to design, construct, operate and maintain a pipeline to transport oil from the fields on the North Slope of Alaska where oil was discovered in 1968 to an ice-free deep-water port in Valdez, Alaska.