POWER GENERATION
Black-start power modules custom designed by Marsh Creek with generators from
MTU Onsite Energy have been installed at oil pumping stations along the Alyeska
Pipeline. Marsh Creek, an MTU distributor headquartered in Anchorage, specializes in
packaged power systems for the oil and gas markets as well as prime power systems
for remote Alaskan villages.
NORTHERN
EXPOSURE
MTU Onsite distributor Marsh Creek carves its niche by developing
custom power plants to handle Alaska’s tough environment
BY JACK BURKE
Energy production is big busi- ness in Alaska. The state pumps out nearly 22 million
barrels of crude oil a year. The Alyeska
Pipeline, which starts in Prudhoe Bay
on Alaska’s oil-rich North Slope, is a
key component of that supply. The
pipeline stretches 800 miles to Valdez,
the northernmost ice-free port in North
America. Along that route, it traverses
three mountain ranges, three major
earthquake faults and more than 500
rivers and streams.
Along the pipeline are several
pumping stations that get primary
electric power from turbines. If those
go down — either for regular mainte-
nance or in an emergency — standby
power is critical. Custom power plants
designed and built by Marsh Creek
LLC, an MTU Onsite Energy distribu-
tor and systems integrator based in
Anchorage, are being used to help
keep the oil flowing.
