Oil & Gas
By far, the major portion of petroleum industry activity in Alaska is conducted on its North Slope, about 500 miles north of Fairbanks. Fairbanks is the closest major city to the oilfields and is accessible by road to Deadhorse.
Fairbanks is also the mid-point of an 800 mile pipeline, which carries crude oil from the North Slope to tidewater at Valdez (pronounced “ValDeez”), Alaska. Alyeska Pipeline Service Company is the owner and operator of the pipeline. Its location makes Fairbanks a prime service and supply center for the oilfields and the pipeline. A survey performed in 1999 indicates that the petroleum industry’s North Slope operations have a direct and indirect annual impact on the Fairbanks economy of $250 million. |
