With a renewed interest over the last few years in oil and natural gas prospects in Alaska, Irving, TX-based Fluor Corp. is heading back to Alaska to open an office in Anchorage to support projects in the region.

The company’s best-known project in Alaska was the engineering, procurement and construction of the pump stations, remote gate valve sites and marine terminal of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System, one of the largest pipeline systems in the world, which delivers oil 800 miles from Alaska’s North Slope to the Port of Valdez.

An equally ambitious undertaking could be in the works as two competing backers of a gasline to tap North Slope reserves proceed toward their respective open seasons (see Daily GPI, Aug. 5).

The company said an initial staff of 50 employees, backed by Fluor’s global workforce, will perform engineering, procurement, construction and maintenance services for the oil and gas, mining and government sectors. The company will host a grand opening of the office Wednesday.

Fluor said many of its “key clients in the oil and gas industry” have expressed an interest in Fluor returning to Anchorage. The company said the Alaska office will offer operations that not only will support many of Fluor’s clients in Alaska, but also will serve strategic global interests at other arctic and sub-arctic project sites. “Fluor has a long history of executing some of the most complex projects in the most challenging regions of the world,” said David Seaton, Fluor group president of energy and chemicals.

The company said it will leverage its experience in Alaska to support engineering, procurement, construction and maintenance needs on the North Slope and throughout the state.

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