Trans-Alaska Pipeline System

human and physical opportunities and challenges for minerals, oil and gas extraction in cold environments, including inaccessibility, permafrost and resource nationalism(Case study of one cold environment to illustrate the issues)

General Issues

• conflict with native people over use/ownership of land, sometimes built in national parks

• Alaska’s main mineral is oil(33%), then gold(20%), then gravel ($2B)

• exploitation of resources in remote areas(pristine wilderness) poses risks to the environment

• frozen land and sea(-30° average) in winter, limited sunlight, dangerous roads

• building anything is expensive because of adaptations e.g. raised roads on gravel beds to reduce heat transfer

Challenges to building a pipeline

• freezing temperatures could damage pipeline

• extreme weather conditions

• extremely long

• rough, mountainous terrain

• permfrost → have to put pipeline on stilts to avoid melting

• inaccesability/isolation

• must be high enough for migrating animals to move underneath

• crude oil must be heated to 80° to allow it to flow but this may cause expansion → radiators required along length

• requires pumps to keep oil flowing along the way

• far from oil markets

• ground snow-covered for up to 6 months a year

• unpleasant working conditions → requires higher wages

TAPS Facts

• 1250km long

• runs from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez

• cost $8B in 1977 (40B 2023)

• crosses 3 mountain ranges

• 500 rivers and streams

• 3 earthquake zones

• can’t be shipped from Prudhoe Bay → frozen 6 months across winter

Exxon Valdez

• Oil spill in 1989

• 11 million gallons of oil spilled

• from pipeline being shipped to California

• Ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska

• 2000km of shoreline contaminated

How did TAPS overcome challenges?

• built on stilts up to 3m above ground to avoid permafrot thawing and caribou migration

• sliding shoes for sideways movement during earth movement

• pipeline insulated and oil heated

• pumping stations cut down oil flow in damaged sections

• support pylons

• zigzag pattern allows pipeline to move sideways when expands + contracts

• 464 animal crossings along length

Willow Project

• President Biden has ambitious targets for more renewable energy on public lands and waters by 2030

• Willow Project = major test of Biden administration’s willingness to follow up on promises

• Approved March 14, 2023

• Conoco Philips project

• Located inside national petroleum reserve

• 3 drill sites instead of 250(Trump)