Doyon subsidiary wants 20% of key North Slope pipeline

Doyon, the Fairbanks-based Alaska Native corporation, is asking state regulators for permission to acquire 20% the pipeline that connects the Kuparuk oil field, pictured here, to the trans-Alaska pipeline. (ConocoPhillips photo)

A subsidiary of Doyon, the Fairbanks-based Alaska Native corporation, is asking state regulators for permission to acquire 20% of a major North Slope pipeline from a ConocoPhillips affiliate.

The two companies applied Wednesday to the RCA for permission to transfer the minority share of the Kuparuk pipeline, which currently moves up to 175,000 barrels of oil a day. 

Earlier this month, another minority owner of the pipeline, a subsidiary of Chevron, also asked for regulatory permission to transfer its 5% interest to a small, Texas-based firm, Pontem.

Doyon already has significant interests in energy-related businesses, including a pipeline company that moves oil between the Trans Alaska Pipeline System and a refinery. 

The RCA application says Doyon’s subsidiary will assume “full responsibility and liability” for its newly owned share of the pipeline, including for decommissioning costs. But ConocoPhillips, whose affiliate will own 75% of the pipeline after the transaction, will continue to manage operations.

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