STATE FOCUS | ALASKA


and mild, sun-filled summers, further suggest a land of contradictions, with temperatures in mid- winter drops often hitting -40°C or lower, while summers often reach the low 20s in July and have been known to hit 32°C.


Beneath this sometimes icy and inhospitable


terrain, Alaska holds treasure trove – valuable minerals, natural gas and, above all, oil.


Sitting on a gold mine According to the latest statistics from the US Energy Information Agency (EIA), the state holds over 3.1 billion barrels of crude oil, ranking fourth among US states. It ranks sixth for natural gas reserves, with gross withdrawals of more than 3.5 trillion cubic feet, though much is reinjected into fields to maintain oil extraction. The EIA currently forecasts that Alaskan oil production will grow by 3% in 2026.


The largest and most important oil and gas


production sites in Alaska are located on the remote North Slope, which lies on the Arctic coast and is anchored by the massive Prudhoe Bay field – the largest conventional oil field in North America. Some 40 miles west of Prudhoe Bay lies the Greater Kuparuk Area – the second-largest oil field in North America. Then there are The Alpine Field, the new Pikka Unit and the shallow-water offshore fields of Nikaitchuq and Oooguruk in the Beaufort Sea. The Pikka Phase 1 project, which started


production in May 2026, is expected to reach peak production of 80,000 barrels per day, equivalent to almost 20% of total Alaskan oil production in 2025. The huge Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) is an iconic 800-mile pipeline that moves crude oil from Deadhorse on the North Slope down to the Valdez Marine


Terminal in southern Alaska for shipping to refineries. The industry’s huge infrastructure is an


indicator of the value the oil and gas sector provides to the state. It currently contributes around $5.8bn directly to the state’s gross domestic product annually, with wider multi- industry economic impacts estimated significantly higher. It provides a major share of Alaska’s budget for public services, and core extraction and primary operating companies directly employ over 2,000 to 4,000 workers, while supporting tens of thousands of indirect and induced jobs across the state. The industry is not, however, the only source of


Alaska’s economic health. “Alaska as a land mass and a geographic unit


is really vast and, given its limited transportation networks, that means that what is important in one


ochmagazine.com | Fall 2026 45


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91