Denali—The Alaska Gas Pipeline LLC, jointly owned by oil giants BP and ConocoPhillips, will use the office as a base for early data collection in support of the massive pipeline project, expected to carry 4 billion cubic feet of natural gas each day to markets in North America.

The $40 million workload planned for the remainder of this year involves gathering “front end” information about a segment of the proposed pipeline route roughly following the Alaska Highway and the path of the old Haines pipeline.

This early collection effort will focus on learning the hydrology of rivers and streams, digging for cultural artifacts, monitoring air and soil quality, and mapping the region both on the ground and through aerial photography.

The goal is to collect enough information to hold a successful open season for the pipeline by 2010. Denali plans to spend $600 million toward that effort.

Denali currently has between 40 and 50 people currently working out of the Tok field office, and expects to staff as many as 60 as operations ramp up. The company also employs an equal number of people at its headquarters in Anchorage.

The opening of the field office comes as state lawmakers meet in special session to decide whether to award a license for TransCanada to proceed with a similar pipeline project.

See full story in June 29 edition of Petroleum News, available to subscribers online at noon Friday, June 27 at www.PetroleumNews.com