Doyon Drilling installs 2 wind turbines near Prudhoe Bay oil field

An Alaska Native-owned drilling company has installed what it says are the first wind energy turbines erected near Alaska’s giant Prudhoe Bay oil field.

The two 100-kilowatt turbines were installed in October at the Doyon Drilling warehouse in Deadhorse, the jumping-off point for the North Slope oil fields.

The wind turbines will help power the warehouse, reducing electric costs, and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with burning diesel fuel for electricity, Doyon Drilling said in a statement.

Doyon Drilling is a subsidiary of Doyon, the regional Native corporation for the state’s Interior.

“This project is the first of its kind for the North Slope,” said Andrew Honea, Doyon Drilling president, in a statement from Doyon.

Based on historical wind data, the turbines have an estimated daily output of 1,440 kilowatt-hours. That’s equivalent to burning about 100 gallons of diesel fuel, Doyon said.

Chris Rose, executive director of Renewable Energy Alaska Project, said the turbines are a step in the right direction since they will help offset diesel fuel. There’s potential for more of them in the region and in the oil fields, where winds can be strong, he said.

The turbines also highlight the economic case for adopting renewable energy, especially in remote places like the North Slope where fuel costs are high. He said in Northwest Alaska, mining company Teck Resources is looking at using solar and wind power at the Red Dog zinc mine to lower diesel fuel expenses.

“Every little bit helps if you have local, free fuel in the wind,” he said.

“All kinds of industries around the world are using renewable energy because it’s cheaper than fuel, especially when you’re in a place where you’re importing the fuel from far away,” he said.

The turbines were installed by Northern Power Systems of Vermont. A video on Facebook posted by Northern Power shows the turbines towering over the snow-covered tundra in an industrial area, not far from Doyon’s stored drilling rigs.

Federal funds were not used for the project, but they may be eligible for federal tax credits, Doyon said in a statement.

It’s part of Doyon’s initiative to make investments in sustainable infrastructure, Doyon officials said.

“It’s wonderful to see this project come to life,” said Tanya Kaquatosh, Doyon senior vice president of administration.