Prudhoe Bay Oil Field

NEW YORK/ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - British oil giant BP on Thursday submitted a plan to clean up the bulk of oil that spilled from one of its Alaska pipelines, an incident that affected about 11,000 square feet of tundra but did not hinder oil production in the region. An undetermined amount of crude oil, water and natural gas leaked out of a flow line serving BP's Lisburne field adjacent to Prudhoe Bay, the largest U.S. oilfield complex. BP found the leak on Sunday. The material spilled from a leak in the 18-inch-diameter pipeline, which delivers oil from drill sites to a processing facility, BP's ... Read Full Story

The cleanup continued Thursday on the North Slope, where a pipeline carrying a mixture of oil, gas and water was discovered leaking onto tundra four days ago. The spill was discovered Sunday, but officials do not have an estimate of how much material leaked because a mixture of residual matter was carried in the 18-inch pipeline operated by oil giant BP. "This is a line that carries three: gas, oil and water. Knowing the exact ratio among those three elements presents a challenge," said Matt Carr, the Environmental Protection Agency's on-scene coordinator. About 80 cubic yards of contaminated snow has been removed, said Randy ... Read Full Story

Crews continued Friday to clean up a spill at an oil field on Alaska's North Slope while state environmental regulators were monitoring a second spill in the region. About 7,100 gallons of water with oily residue spilled from a six-inch pipeline that injects the production material back into the ground. The spill at the Prudhoe Bay oil field was discovered Wednesday and field operator, oil giant BP, is investigating the cause. The spill site is about eight miles west of an 18-inch pipeline that leaked a mixture of oil, gas and water at the nearby Lisburne field. Crews continue to clean up the earlier ... Read Full Story

NEW YORK/ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - BP Plc on Tuesday began cleaning up an oil spill from a leaky Alaskan pipeline, but said it has not determined what caused the leak or how much material spilled onto the snow-covered tundra. The leak is the latest setback for the British oil giant. A major Alaskan spill in early 2006 revealed pipeline corrosion issues at BP-controlled Prudhoe Bay, the largest U.S. oilfield complex, which the company has sought to fix. "We are implementing the spill cleanup plan," said BP spokesman Daren Beaudo in Anchorage. BP started removing oil mist from a road adjacent to the 18-inch (45-cm) ... Read Full Story

NEW YORK (Reuters) - BP Plc discovered an oil and gas spill on a pipeline that serves the giant Prudhoe Bay oil fields in Alaska over the weekend, a company spokesman said on Monday. BP was assessing damages after it found the leak early Sunday. The line is one of dozens serving Prudhoe Bay, the biggest U.S. oil field complex, whose production usually tops 400,000 barrels per day, BP spokesman Steve Rinehart said by phone from Alaska. Prudhoe Bay output was not immediately affected. The company may be forced to shut in some oil production as it repairs the leaking line, or idles others ... Read Full Story