18 Billion and Counting: Alaska Celebrates TAPS Milestone

December 11, 2019

Everyone who has been paying attention for the last 50 years knows that Alaska’s economy is driven by responsible resource development, carried out by tens of thousands of men and women in the energy community every day.

Working in conditions that can drop to -80 during the winter (ambient, with windchills pushing the temperatures even lower), the workers on the North Slope of Alaska are a key piece of America’s energy dominance and energy independence agendas.

Carrying that oil from the Slope to Valdez is the 800-mile long Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), and last Friday, Alyeska – the company responsible for day-to-day operations on TAPS – celebrated as the 18 billionth barrel of oil was pumped to its Valdez terminus.  TAPS has been an economic and development windfall for tribal, state and local governments since oil was first produced in the 1970s from Prudhoe Bay, with over $145 billion in state funding being driven by oil producers, as their exploration results flowed down the pipeline.

As anyone who follows Alaska’s economic situation knows, TAPS is the most vital piece of infrastructure in the state.  As more jobs are created in the coming years on the Slope – whether in legacy areas or from upcoming lease sales in the NPR-A and ANWR 1002 areas – TAPS will be the conduit to bring those workers’ efforts to market.

Power The Future celebrates the milestone achievement with Alyeska and the tens of thousands of men and women who have helped bring 18 billion barrels of oil to market, and looks forward to many more celebrations as future milestones of TAPS throughput are realized.