Alpine pipeline seeks nearly double metering capacity for Willow-era output

Alpine Transportation Company has asked state regulators to nearly double the metering capacity of an existing North Slope oil pipeline as ConocoPhillips prepares the Willow project for production.

The company wants to increase the Alpine Sales Oil Pipeline's metering capacity from 138,000 to 274,000 barrels per day. Its application notice says new facilities and modifications would accommodate projected production growth, including oil from Willow.

Metering records how much oil moves through the system for transfer and accounting. The notice describes a metering expansion. It does not say the pipeline itself is physically limited to 138,000 barrels per day, nor does it attribute the entire proposed capacity to Willow.

ConocoPhillips estimates Willow could produce about 180,000 barrels per day at its peak and expects first oil in early 2029. Willow's planned 32-mile sales line would connect the development to the existing Alpine system. The current filing concerns facilities on that existing system, not a new decision on whether Willow may proceed.

The Alpine pipeline runs about 34 miles from the Alpine Central Facility to Kuparuk infrastructure, where oil continues toward the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System.

The application follows a separate effort to expand metering farther downstream. Alaska News reported in June that Kuparuk Transportation Company sought to increase metering capacity at Pump Station 1 from 360,000 to 634,000 barrels per day as several North Slope projects move toward production.

The Regulatory Commission of Alaska had not yet determined whether Alpine's application was complete when it issued the notice. The company asked for approval by Jan. 29, 2027.

Comments are due by 5 p.m. Oct. 6 and must reference docket P-26-013. Commenters must also state that they sent a copy to Alpine Transportation Company. The commission accepts comments through its online portal.