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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)
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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)