North Slope pipeline seeks 76% metering boost at Pump Station 1

Kuparuk Transportation Company filed an application Monday to nearly double its metering capacity at Pump Station 1, the connection point where the Kuparuk Pipeline feeds crude into the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System.

The Regulatory Commission of Alaska received the filing June 1 under Docket P-26-009. The proposal would raise metering capacity from 360,000 barrels per day to 634,000 barrels per day, a 76% increase, through a new meter module and facility modifications at the North Slope connection. The Commission has not yet assessed whether the application is complete and expects to make that determination by June 23, 2026. The filing does not disclose an operational impact, rate change, or construction timeline.

Kuparuk Transportation Company holds Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity No. 307 for crude-oil transportation on the North Slope. Public comments on the application are due by 5 p.m. June 26.

Pump Station 1 is the first major pump station on TAPS and ties to feeder pipelines on the North Slope. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System currently operates at roughly half a million barrels per day, far below its maximum design discharge capacity of 2.136 million barrels per day.