Project Narrative

Located on Alaska’s North Slope, Hilcorp’s Prudhoe Bay facility is one of the most critical oil and gas production sites in North America. As the largest oil field on the continent, it spans over 213,000 acres and originally held approximately 25 billion barrels of oil, more than twice the reserves of the next largest field in the United States.

Historically operated by BP in partnership with ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, the field changed hands in August 2019 when BP sold all its Alaska assets to Hilcorp. Situated 400 miles north of Fairbanks and 650 miles from Anchorage, this remote Arctic region is often featured in shows like Ice Road Truckers and America’s Toughest Jobs. Work in this part of the world presents unique logistical and environmental challenges.

Starcon was first awarded work at Prudhoe Bay in 2015 under BP Exploration. That early opportunity laid the foundation for our long-term presence on the North Slope. Through consistent performance and a commitment to safe, high-quality work, we developed a reputation as the contractor of choice. When Hilcorp acquired the facility, our partnership continued seamlessly. Over the past five years alone, Starcon has executed more than 32 million dollars in work at Prudhoe Bay, completing over 400,000 work hours in one of the world’s most demanding environments.

Planning, Partnership, and Process: The Foundation of Success

The success of the 2025 Hilcorp Turnaround was built on early planning and transparent collaboration. From the beginning, both teams committed to open communication and alignment. A timely purchase order and clearly defined scope freeze allowed our team to begin preparations with confidence and focus.

We implemented our structured Readiness Review Process, developed through years of complex project experience. This process included tailored plans for safety, quality, staffing, logistics, subcontractor coordination, material control, document tracking, and cost oversight. These tools created a reliable framework for execution and ensured that expectations were clear across all levels of the project.

What truly set this phase apart was the working relationship. From the outset, the partnership between Starcon and Hilcorp was rooted in mutual trust and respect. Both teams remained fully aligned in purpose, allowing us to navigate challenges effectively and deliver a successful outcome.

Behind the scenes, our Human Resources team played a vital role in mobilizing nearly 500 workers to and from the site. With all flights into Deadhorse Airport chartered, we collaborated with the client to pilot a more efficient travel strategy. Instead of coordinating flights from multiple airports across the country, we chartered planes directly from Houston to Anchorage. This simplified the deployment process, reduced variability, and delivered meaningful cost savings to the client.

Our corporate logistics department was also instrumental to the project’s success. While materials were sourced by the client, Starcon was responsible for all tools and equipment. These were shipped from our logistics hub in New Lenox, Illinois. In an environment as remote as Prudhoe Bay, a single misstep in tooling can derail a project. Our logistics team ensured every item arrived on time, fully supporting field operations from the start.

Execution: Performance Without Compromise

The turnaround included work across several critical assets: Gathering Centers 1, 2, and 3, and the Central Compressor Plant. Each site presented unique requirements and scopes of work.

Gathering Center 1 included seven mechanical packages and two instrumentation and electrical (I&E) packages. Gathering Center 2 involved eight mechanical packages, four I&E packages, and two capital tie-in projects. The Central Compressor Plant scope consisted of four mechanical packages and one capital project.

The ability to execute multiple, complex scopes in parallel is a hallmark of Starcon’s approach. Throughout the turnaround, we maintained strict control over schedule, resources, and quality. The result was a seamless execution across all work fronts, with no compromise on safety or performance. Managing 457 team members so effectively is a testament to the culture of our organization.

Instrumentation & Electrical: New Service Offering

One of the most impactful components of this project was the addition of our I&E services. In the year leading up to the turnaround, Starcon expanded our capabilities in instrumentation and electrical work, building a strong reputation in the Gulf Coast region. We shared this expanded service line with Hilcorp early in scope development.

Following a meeting with our I&E department manager, Phillip Terry, Hilcorp entrusted Starcon to provide I&E support across the entire project. This required us to deploy a 72-person I&E team, making this our largest I&E effort to date.

There were challenges to overcome. We needed to secure an Alaska electrical license and establish a state-approved apprenticeship program. Phillip acted quickly, and with support from our parent company, Cianbro, we were able to adapt the apprenticeship structure through the Cianbro Institute. These efforts allowed us to fully staff the project and meet all regulatory requirements.

The I&E team delivered outstanding results, integrating seamlessly with the larger mechanical effort and playing a key role in the project’s overall success.

HSSE Leadership: Safety as a Core Value

Throughout 169,788 work hours, Starcon achieved a Total Recordable Incident Rate of 0.00. There were no recordable injuries, no dropped objects, and only one first-aid incident. These results are a reflection of our deeply embedded safety culture and our commitment to protecting every individual on site.

The project included high-risk tasks such as confined space entry, elevated work, complex rigging, hazardous energy control and yes, even polar and grizzly bears. These activities were managed through proactive planning, job safety analysis, and real-time peer engagement.

Starcon’s Team Member Recognition Program played a significant role in driving safety performance. Team members were rewarded for reporting near misses, submitting high-quality JSAs, participating in safety audits, and exercising stop-work authority. Points earned through this program could be redeemed through our company store, providing positive reinforcement and building a culture of ownership.

QA/QC Innovation: Built-in Excellence

Quality was integrated into every layer of the project. Starcon implemented a site-specific Quality Control Incident Prevention Plan that aligned with Hilcorp’s expectations and our own internal standards. Our QA/QC team tracked every work package and flagged those that required Management of Change or Pre-Startup Safety Review.

We also certified in-house Level II Dye Penetrant Examiners, enabling us to self-perform PT testing and avoid costly delays. This built-in capability accelerated workflow and kept the welding process on schedule.

A total of 863 welds were completed and 933 flange bolt-ups were executed. Every weld and bolt-up passed inspection. The project concluded with a leak-free startup, validating the strength of our quality systems and field execution.

Innovation: Technology in Action

To manage a project of this scale in such a remote environment, Starcon leveraged Procore, a cloud-based construction management platform, to drive collaboration, transparency, and control. Procore was used across multiple areas of the project—including RFI and submittal tracking, schedule coordination, daily logs, document control, QA/QC tracking, and safety observations.

The platform served as a central hub between teams in the field and those supporting from the lower 48, streamlining communication and improving response time. Field teams accessed Procore on mobile tablets to upload photos, complete checklists, document inspections, and respond to issues in real time, minimizing downtime and avoiding delays due to geography or miscommunication. Within the QA/QC program, Procore helped track turnover packages, weld logs, and inspection results, providing real-time visibility to project leadership and the client.

By integrating Procore into daily operations, Starcon ensured that all stakeholders on-site, off-site, and client-side remained connected, informed, and aligned throughout the duration of the turnaround.

We also optimized labor efficiency by prefabricating pipe for the Central Compressor Plant at our on-site shop before the turnaround began. This allowed us to reduce crew size and field exposure hours without compromising productivity.

Client Impact and Lasting Value

Hilcorp entrusted Starcon with a high-priority, mission-critical project. We delivered a safe, leak-free, and on-time turnaround while earning the client’s confidence and setting the stage for future collaboration.

The project also helped Hilcorp pilot new logistical strategies, integrate a new service line, and strengthen their approach to contractor partnerships. Because of our performance, Starcon has already been awarded several upcoming projects in 2026. Planning for those efforts is already underway, with lessons from this turnaround informing our next phase of work together.

Why We Deserve to Win

The Hilcorp 2025 Turnaround represents construction excellence at its highest level. In one of the most remote and challenging environments in North America, we executed a complex project safely, efficiently, and without compromise.

Our safety record was flawless. Our quality benchmarks were met and exceeded. We brought new service capabilities to the table, solved logistical challenges, and integrated advanced technology to keep the project on track. Most importantly, we earned the client’s trust by listening, delivering, and partnering at every level.

We don’t believe we should win simply because the project went well. We believe we should win because we turned an extreme challenge into a model of execution. We left behind more than completed scopes, we left behind value, trust, and a foundation for continued success.