Trans-Alaskan Pipeline Case Study

Question 1

What was the Trans Alaskan Pipeline built for?

Answer 1

To transport oil from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez

Question 2

What are the two main TNC’s incolved in oil and gas exploration in the Arctic Circle?

Answer 2

BP and Shell

Question 3

Which organisation demonstrates against exploration?

Answer 3

Greenpeace

Question 4

How long is the pipeline?

Answer 4

800 miles

Question 5

How large is the Prudhoe Bay oilfield?

Answer 5

86,000 hectares (largest in the USA)

Question 6

When was the pipeline built?

Answer 6

1974-1977

Question 7

What was the estimated cost of the pipeline?

Answer 7

US$8 billion

Question 8

How many people worked on the pipeline during its construction?

Answer 8

70,000

Question 9

How much of US domestic oil production does the TAP provide?

Answer 9

20%

Question 10

When does Alaskan law state the pipeline must be removed?

Answer 10

2075

Question 11

What must happen when the pipeline is removed?

Answer 11

The landscape must be returned to its natural state

Question 12

What is the daily capacity of the TAP?

Answer 12

1.4 billion barrels of oil

Question 13

What are the opportunities of the TAP?

Answer 13

• Growth of boom towns
• Boosted the Alaskan economy
• Improved infrastructure
• Reduced US dependency on oil from the Middle East
• Locals receive dividends

Question 14

How did the population of Valdez change during construction of the TAP?

Answer 14

Grew 6 times larger between 1974-1977

Question 15

What are the challenges of the TAP?

Answer 15

• Increased risk of oil spills
• Overstretched infrastructure
• Crime increased
• House prices rose

Question 16

How much did house prices rise following construction of the TAP?

Answer 16

100% in some areas

Question 17

What are the two most significant oil spills in Alaskan history?

Answer 17

• Valdez oil spill, Exxon (1989)
• Prudhoe Bay oil spill, BP (2006)

Question 18

What occurred during the Exxon Valdez oil spill?

Answer 18

• An oil supertanker struck a reef off the coast of Valdez
• Spilled 37,000 tonnes of oil over a number of days

Question 19

What occurred during the BP Prudhoe Bay oil spill?

Answer 19

• A major oil spill which went undetected for 5 days
• Caused limited impacts as the spill was on land and was scraped off the tundra landscape
• BP was fined US$20 million

Question 20

Why is the pipeline elevated in some areas?

Answer 20

To prevent the pipe from melting the permafrost

Question 21

Why do the elevated sections have sliding joints?

Answer 21

Allows the joints to be shifted to protect against subsidence

Question 22

Under which areas is the pipeline buried and thickly insulated?

Answer 22

• Roads
• Avalanche-sensitive areas
• Caribou migration routes

Question 23

How much of the buried pipeline is refrigerated and why?

Answer 23

4 miles - to prevent thawing of the permafrost

Question 24

At how many points along the pipe have special valves been placed and why?

Answer 24

71 - can shut down the whole system in 4 minutes to prevent major oil spills

Question 25

How were the area’s ecosystems stabilised following construction?

Answer 25

Fast-growing species were introduced, as tundra can take 50 years to recover naturally from disruptions