Sierra Donohue
Alaska Studies
Alaska Oil Essay
What is oil to Alaska? Oil is a resource of the past, present, and future of Alaska.
Without oil, the economy in Alaska today would be only half it’s current size. One
hundred thousand twenty-seven jobs in Alaska are oil related and depend on oil
production. It is apparent that this resource is very vital to Alaska, but many people don’t
know about the discovery, development, and future of oil in Alaska.
Oil was first found in 1896 by oil explorers on the shores of Cook Inlet. The first
major oil discovery in Alaska was in 1957 on the Kenai Peninsula at Swanson River.
“Twelve years later Atlantic Richfield struck oil in Prudhoe Bay in 1968.” (When was oil
discovered and developed in Alaska?) “The discovery of the giant Prudhoe Bay oil field
on Alaska’s North Slope in 1967 established Alaska as a world class oil and gas province.
In 1969 the discovery of the Kuparuk field, the second largest in North America after
Prudhoe Bay, confirmed Alaska’s position.” (Alaska’s oil and gas industry; history)
Since these discoveries, a series of major oil and gas fields have developed along the
central North Slope.
In 1974 after the Prudhoe Bay oil field was discovered in 1968 the Trans-Alaska
pipeline began construction. Three years later the 800-mile long pipeline was completed.
The pipeline is one of the largest pipeline systems in the world. “In what is called
strategic reconfiguration, the company has upgraded the pipelines pump stations and
control systems to enhance overall pipeline safety and reliability.” (Alaska’s Oil & Gas
Industry; The Future) New drilling technology has led to major advances in limiting
industry’s footprint on the North Slope. Improvements in drilling technology have also
greatly expanded the subsurface drillable area. “Alaska has produced over seventeen
billion barrels of oil and in 1988 it accounted for twenty-five percent of domestic
production.” (Alaska’s Oil & Gas Industry; Background) The development of the oil
industry has come a long way over the years.
Alaska’s share of domestic oil production has fallen approximately ten percent
and the state has slipped to be the third largest producer in the nation. After thirty-five
years of production, the North Slope still has a large amount of the discovered oil and gas
in place. The industry is actively pursuing new ways to develop these remaining, more
challenging resources such as heavy viscous oil, and light oil from small, more remote
fields, and natural gas including gas hydrates. If the technical and economic hurdles can
be overcome, heavy oil development will be important to sustaining Alaska’s oil
production long into the future. “Alaska still has a lot of conventional oil to produce.
There is estimated to be at least forty billion barrels remaining to be tapped on the North
Slope and off shore areas of the Alaska Arctic. Alaska’s off shore waters and onshore
prospects hold the potential to fuel the states economy for decades and to play a key role
in ensuring America has the energy it needs until alternative sources become available on
a large scale.” (Alaska’s Oil & Gas Industry; Future)
In conclusion, oil has had a huge impact on not only Alaska’s economy but
Americas also, and will for many years. The development of the oil industry has
improved oil production, and will help sustain the ever-growing economy of Alaska and
the United States. Alaska would not be where it is today without oil, it is a big part of our
states past, present, and future.
Bibliography
"Alaska's Oil & Gas Industry." Resource Development Council. Resource Development
Council, n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2014.
<http%3A%2F%2Fwww.akrdc.org%2Fissues%2Foilgas%2Foverview.html>.
"How Much Oil Is Produced in Alaska and Where Does It Go?" U.S. Energy Information
Administration. U.S. Department of Energy, n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2014.
<http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eia.gov%2Ftools%2Ffaqs%2Ffaq.cfm%3Fid%3D35%26t%3D
6>.
"When Was Oil Discovered and Developed in Alaska?" Alaska Historical Society. Alaska
Historical Society, n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2014.
<http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alaskahistoricalsociety.org%2Findex.cfm%2Fdiscoveralaska%2FFAQs%2F10>.