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BP upgrading Prudhoe Bay living quarters
Call it the northern suburb of Deadhorse or Alaska’s strangest city, but the construction camp at Prudhoe Bay has been home to hundreds of oil field workers since efforts to develop the field began more than 30 years ago.
Now, BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. plans to replace and upgrade part of the Main Construction Camp at Prudhoe Bay this summer, hoping to prepare for the next 30 years of residents.
The Main Construction Camp has been the primary living quarters since the oil field went online with construction of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline more than 30 years ago. Already 10 years past their intended life, the buildings are starting to show some wear, according to filings with the state.
Designs based on lessons learned Early descriptions of the expansion project, called the Living Quarters Annex, suggest designs based on lessons learned over more than three decades of life at the existing camp.
New four-story buildings will include rooms that should be more private, easier to clean and quicker to get around, as well as designs compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The project will also allow BP to expand the camp in the future to 881 beds from its current capacity of 719 beds.
“The facility design will not only respond to the needs of the current workforce — which is anticipated to retire over the next 10 years — but also the newly arriving, younger workforce as well as an additional generation that will enter the workplace during the years 2030 to 2050,” the company said in public filings with the state.
BP plans to place around 85,000 cubic feet of gravel over more than 10 acres at the site this summer, and start building the new facilities early next year.
BP spokesman Steve Rinehart said the company is not ready to discuss details of the renovation at this time.
—Eric Lidji
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