Point Thomson completes summer construction season milestones

ExxonMobil’s Point Thomson project successfully completed a number of infrastructure milestones during the summer as part of an ongoing commitment to Alaska’s energy future.

“ExxonMobil has a strong commitment to hiring Alaskans and together with our contractors employed about 1,100 Alaskans during the 2013 summer work season,” said Gina Dickerson, Senior Project Manager at Point Thomson. More than 35 Alaskan companies worked on the project during the summer.

This summer, the project worked with Alaska Frontier Constructors to complete the site airstrip and finish building a permanent service pier. A permanent camp, built by Builders Choice of Anchorage, was installed and is fully operational, serving meals and housing project workers. At its peak, the Point Thomson project had about 550 people working on-site this summer.

Telecommunications and power systems are also now up and running at Point Thomson. A condensate export pipeline – linking Point Thomson to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) – is expected to be completed this winter. More than 2,200 vertical pipeline supports have been installed.

“The Point Thomson project’s infrastructure can help unlock the eastern portion of the North Slope for further exploration and development activities,” said Dickerson. “Along with our contractors and partners, we’re very proud to be building a project on the North Slope that will be instrumental to potential future energy expansion in Alaska.”

Worley Parsons Group Inc., the main engineering, procurement, and construction management contractor for Point Thomson, recently awarded two subcontracts for the next major phases of development.

CH2M HILL Alaska was awarded a contract for the installation of the production system modules. The contract includes responsibility for installation of large process modules which make up the principle components of the permanent Point Thomson facilities. CH2M HILL partnered with ASRC Energy Services and Delta Constructors for the execution of the field work, which will begin in 2014.

Aerial view of Point Thomson central pad. About 1,100
Alaskans were employed during the summer work season.

CH2M HILL Alaska was also awarded a contract to fabricate the standby powergeneration module, which will provide backup power for the entire facility. The module will be installed in 2014.

These subcontracts will provide employment and subcontracting opportunities for many Alaskans and Alaska-based contractors.

The Point Thomson Unit, operated by ExxonMobil on behalf of itself, BP, ConocoPhillips and other minor owners, is a remote natural gas and condensate field located on Alaska’s North Slope, approximately 60 miles east of Prudhoe Bay. It is estimated to hold about 25 percent of known North Slope natural gas. The project is designed to initially produce 10,000 barrels per day (bpd) of condensate at start-up in the winter of 2015-2016. A pipeline is being installed with capacity of 70,000 bpd and will connect to TAPS.

Field development will include a gas cycling plant designed to produce hydrocarbon liquids and re-inject natural gas back into the reservoir, making Point Thomson the highest-pressure gas cycling operation in the world.

A condensate export pipeline, linking Point Thomson to the trans-Alaska pipeline is expected to be completed this winter. More than 2,200 vertical support members have been installed.

Aerial view of the camp at Point Thomson. Fabrication of the permanent work camp was completed at Builders Choice fabrication yard in the Mat-Su Borough.

Permanent fuel tanks were barged to the site over the summer and installed.

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