RE: Alaska pipeline18 Jun 2025 05:59
With respect Sea Hawk - I think you are massively underestimating the scale, complexity and cost of the project. As a reference - its worth looking at the original TAPS pipeline and what happened there:
Engineering Milestones
• Oil was first discovered in Prudhoe Bay on the North Slope in 1968.
• Alyeska Pipeline Service Company was established in 1970 to design, construct, operate and maintain the pipeline.
• The state of Alaska entered into a right-of-way agreement on May 3, 1974; the lease was renewed in November of 2002.
• Thickness of the pipeline wall: .462 inches (466 miles) & .562 inches (334 miles).
• The pipeline project involved some 70,000 workers from 1969 through 1977.
• The first pipe of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System was laid on March 27, 1975. Last weld was completed May 31, 1977.
• The pipeline is often referred to as “TAPS” – an acronym for the Trans Alaska Pipeline System.
• First oil moved through the pipeline on June 20, 1977.
• 71 gate valves can block oil flow in either direction on the pipeline.
• First tanker to carry crude oil from Valdez: ARCO Juneau, August 1, 1977.
• At the peak of its construction in the fall of 1975, more than 28,000 people worked on the pipeline. There were 31 construction camps built along the route, each built on gravel to insulate and help prevent pollution to the underlying permafrost.
And importantly – was the pipeline built on budget:
No, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline was not built on budget. It was initially budgeted at $900 million but ended up costing over $8 billion. The final cost exceeded the initial estimate by a significant margin, making it one of the most expensive privately funded construction projects of its time.
Whilst the construction period from laying the first pipe to mechanical completion was a little over two years with first oil shortly thereafter - route surverys and engineering actually started in about 1970/71
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