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would not melt and so that moose and other wildlife would be able
to traverse the pipelines.
Due to the careful design, construction, and operation of
the Prudhoe Bay oil field, the facilities and operations of the
oil field have disturbed only 5,600 acres, or 2 percent, of the
total land acreage at Prudhoe Bay.
In light of the costly and difficult construction conditions
on the North Slope, the large industrial buildings and facilities
at Prudhoe Bay (such as the flow stations and power plant),
initially were constructed as large, modular buildings in plants
near Bellingham and Seattle, Washington. The buildings, with the
extensive equipment and facilities fully contained and installed
therein, were then transported by special, oceangoing barges up
the west coast of Canada through the Bering Sea to Prudhoe Bay
where they were transported slowly over gravel roads to the
installation sites in the Prudhoe Bay field.
To protect the North Slope tundra from thermal damage, the
large plants and buildings constituting the oil production
facilities at Prudhoe Bay were installed on pilings and gravel
pads rising 4 to 6 feet above ground level. Once installed and
in place at Prudhoe Bay, the modular segments of the large
buildings were then joined together to form integrated facilities
and buildings by connecting their structural components, piping,
and electrical lines at interface points.
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Last modified: May 25, 2011