Fueling petro industry operations: industrial-strength services for Alaska explorers and producers.

• Author: Sharpe, Margaret
• Position: OIL & GAS

It takes fuel to make fuel. More specifically, fuel resources are required to explore for and extract new fuel sources. So who fuels Alaska's petroleum industry in its pursuit of oil and gas? On the North Slope, some longtime Alaskan companies are getting fuel to those in the business of exploring for and extracting energy resources.

Colville

Colville, Inc. has thirty years of experience as an Arctic fuel supply company. "We have relationships with all the instate refineries," says Eric Helzer, president and COO of Colville. "We purchase our fuel from those refineries and transport it with our Dalton fleet of tractor trailers." Those big rigs haul over 10,000 gallons each up the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay, where fuel is transferred to the company's 2 million gallon tank farm in Deadhorse.

"Other clients also use our tank farm [for storage], so we effectively have all the carriers that provide fuel distribution usually coming to our tank farm to transfer their fuel into our tanks," Helzer explains. The clients can then draw their fuel out when they need it, or Colville provides infield fuel distribution directly to the drilling rigs and different facilities on the North Slope.

The company also has the northernmost gas station on the Alaska Highway system. Its Tesoro station, an industrial fuel station at their tank farm, is similar to your ordinary corner gas. What's unique is the pumps are in their own individual heated shelters; and some of the vehicles fueling at the station are not so ordinary. "You can drive your D-9 CAT up to the pump and fill it up," Helzer says. "We have oversize tractor trailers and equipment that fuel at our fuel station daily." The station has a chip-key system for frequent users and accepts major credit cards.

"We have a full, true supply chain from the refinery all the way to the end user in the field," Helzer says. "We provide a full integrated service. There are no other contractors or suppliers in our supply chain; we self-perform all aspects of it." Colville gets it, trucks it, stores it, and pumps it. Colville is also the Air Liquide bottled gas distributor on the Slope, providing welding gas.

"At the Deadhorse Airport, we have a facilities-based aviation facility that handles and dispenses all aviation fuel to all users on the ramps-Alaska Airlines, Everts--any private company that comes up, we supply the fuel," Helzer says. "And of course, we have a pilots lounge." Colville has their own...