BP Alaska Gets DOT Clearance to Re-Start Prudhoe Bay Eastern Operating Area

BP Alaska Gets DOT Clearance to Re-Start Prudhoe Bay Eastern Operating Area

September 25, 2006

    ANCHORAGE, Ala., Sept. 25 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- BP
Exploration (Alaska) Inc. said today it will re-start a
portion of the Eastern Operating Area of Prudhoe Bay in
order to run cleaning pigs and conduct an in-line
inspection of the crude oil transit line using a
"smart pig." The eastern portion of Prudhoe Bay
was shut down on Aug. 10 following discovery of a spill
caused by isolated pitting corrosion on Aug. 6. 

    (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000724/NYM120LOGO )

    The company, working closely with the U.S. Department
of Transportation's (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration, has determined that the line can be
returned to service. Three of the four flow stations
currently on warm stand-by will be returned to full
production.

    "This is an important milestone in returning all
of Prudhoe Bay to production many months in advance of our
complete replacement of 16 miles of oil transit
lines," said David Peattie, BP Group Vice President
for Existing Profit Centers. "It is a result of the
considerable efforts of BP employees working in cooperation
with contractors and federal and state regulators."

    The DOT approval allows BP to run an in-line diagnostic
tool -- called a smart pig -- through a five-mile, 34-inch
diameter segment that carries oil from processing
facilities on the eastern half of the Prudhoe Bay field. 
The results of the smart pig inspection, to be confirmed
with Ultrasonic Testing inspection, will help BP and the
DOT determine whether to continue operations through the
transit oil line or to shift production through a system of
bypass lines currently under construction.

    BP has performed tests on thousands of feet of the
Eastern Operating Area pipeline using ultrasonic and other
imaging equipment. As added precaution, BP's start-up plans
include an enhanced spill-response contingency plan, in
which crews and material will be positioned to respond if
any leak occurs.

    BP anticipates safely restarting the field will take
about a week. Resuming full operation of eastern Prudhoe
should add about 200,000 barrels of daily oil production
from the North Slope of Alaska. Current daily production
from the rest of Greater Prudhoe Bay is about 250,000
barrels per day.

    For more information about BP's Alaska operations visit
http://usresponse.bp.com 

    For more information, please contact:

     Daren Beaudo
     Tel: [phone]

SOURCE  BP