Prudhoe Bay Oil Field, Oil field in North Slope, Alaska, US.
Prudhoe Bay Oil Field is an oil field on the Beaufort Sea coast in northern Alaska. The installations spread across a wide terrain with drilling rigs, processing facilities, and a network of pipelines running through the arctic landscape.
The first confirmation drilling took place in March 1968 after geologists surveyed the region for years. Commercial production began in June 1977 once the Trans-Alaska pipeline was completed and oil moved south for the first time.
The Prudhoe Bay Oil Field Discovery Well Site earned recognition on the National Register of Historic Places for its role in Alaska's industrial development.
Access to the oil field is strictly controlled, and visitors need special permission to enter the site. The facilities operate year-round under extreme arctic conditions that become especially harsh in winter.
The discovery of the field triggered the construction of the longest pipeline in North America, spanning two mountain ranges and more than 800 rivers. The processed natural gas is not sold but pumped back underground to maintain pressure in the reservoirs.
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