Face to Face
Ian Livett
Pump Station Electrification Project Manager

Ian Livett graduated with a civil engineering degree from the University of Liverpool in England in 1976 and has spent the majority of his 28-year-career working with BP. He's been involved in a variety of project engineering and project management assignments that have spanned the globe, notably the North Sea (UK & Norway), Middle East, Gulf of Mexico and Alaska.

Most recently, he was manager of Engineering and Projects for BP's North Slope operations, including over seeing the development of satellite fields in the west end of Prudhoe Bay and heavy oil development at Milne Point. In early 2003 he accepted the position of Pump Station Electrification Project Manager for Alyeska Pipeline. He is responsible for design, procurement, construction, commissioning and start-up of the new electric pump stations.

Q: How will the pump stations change after reconfiguration?

A: The existing 16,000 horsepower turbine driven pumps will be replaced with smaller 6,500 hp electric motor driven pumps controlled by variable frequency drives (VFD). Existing control rooms will be replaced with new unmanned control modules and many of the existing utilities will be removed from service or replaced with modern, more efficient automated equipment. Pump Stations 1, 3, 4 and 9 are very standardized. To the greatest extent possible, all the pumps, motors, variable frequency drives, control systems and control panels will be identical at each station. This will help reduce training requirements and the need for equipment spare parts. Facilities at each station will look very similar and we are minimizing the number of different vendors providing the equipment.

Q: What opportunities are there for Alaska companies?

A: Up to 70 new equipment modules will be required for the Pipeline Reconfiguration Project. The control modules, power distribution centers, VFD/switch gear modules, pump/motor modules, back-up power generation skids and pipe racks will all be constructed at fabrication shops and transported to pump stations for installation. Alaska fabricators will be invited to competitively bid for the fabrication of all the module packages. Onsite construction at pump stations will include installation of new modules, foundation piling, pipe racks, power cables and modifications to existing buildings and infrastructure. All construction at pump stations will be performed by qualified Alaska contractor companies. Smaller work packages for work to be done in existing facilities will be performed by Alyeska's existing maintenance contractor.

Q: When will module fabrication begin?

A: Purchase orders (PO's) for two new power generation modules at Pump Station 5 have already been awarded to Precision Power in Anchorage. A request for quote (RFQ) is out for the fabrication of the power distribution center and control module (two modules) at Pump Station 5. PO's for these items are anticipated in September. RFQs for the remaining module fabrication will be released to qualified vendors in October-November 2004, with awards anticipated 30-40 days later. Bid packages for on-site construction will be released in December 2004 with awards anticipated in January-February 2005.