Please join us to celebrate a historic TAPS milestone
Please join the Alaska Oil & Gas Historial Society for the upcom- ing exhibit “The First Pipe Laid at Tonsina” at the Petroleum Club of Anchorage. This exhibit commemorates the 50th anniversary of the commence- ment of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, which began with the first pipe laid under the Tonsina River on March 27, 1975. March 27-April 27, 2025 n Opening Reception: March 27; 5:30-7:30 p.m. n Location: Petroleum Club of Anchorage, 3301 C Street, Suite 120 n Exhibit Dates: Runs from This free exhibit offers a unique opportunity to explore the history and impact of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline on Alaska’s oil and gas industry. We look forward to celebrating this significant milestone with you! On Nov. 16, 1973, through Presi- dential approval of pipeline legisla- tion, Alyeska Pipeline Service Com- pany received permission to begin construction of the 800-mile Trans Alaska Pipeline, its pump stations and the Marine Terminal at Valdez. The 360-mile road from the Yukon River to Prudhoe Bay was built, and con- struction of the Valdez Terminal began in 1974. At the same time, work start- ed on pump stations and the pipeline work pad, undertaken by Alyeska, then composed of Atlantic Pipeline Company, BP Pipeline Corporation, Humble Pipe Line Company, Amera- da Hess Corporation, Home Pipeline Company, Mobil Pipeline Company, Phillips Petroleum Company and Union Oil Company of California. The lengths of pipe were placed under the Tonsina River between Valdez and Copper Center in March
then travels across the state’s rug- ged and beautiful terrain, including traversing three mountain ranges, three major earthquake faults, and hundreds of rivers and streams; and comes to its end in Valdez, the north- ernmost ice-free port in North Amer- ica. Tankers are loaded at the Valdez Marine Terminal, delivering about 4% of the nation’s crude oil supply to market, according to Alyeska. Since startup in 1977, TAPS has transported more than 18 billion bar- rels of Alaska North Slope crude from the North Slope to Valdez.
1975 and more than 28,000 Alyeska workers and contractors worked on the pipeline at the peak of activity that year. Two years later, all pipe had been installed. The first oil entered the line at Prudhoe Bay on June 20, 1977, and reached Valdez on July 28. On Aug. 1, 1977, the first tanker load of North Slope oil left the Port of Valdez aboard the ARCO Juneau. At 800 miles long, TAPS is one of the world’s largest pipeline systems, transporting North Slope crude oil from Pump Station 1 in Prudhoe Bay;
THE LINK: MARCH 2025
30
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online