As a leading participant in some of Alaska’s largest construction projects, Price Gregory International's presence in the Alaskan construction industry has obtained high acclaim. Specializing in the construction of pipelines, process facilities, power plants, utilities, design and engineering, PGI has proven itself as a top contractor in the state.

The company was founded in 1921 when Hal Price borrowed $2,500 to pursue the development of electric arc welding. Initially the welding technique was used for tank repairs, but by 1928, Price had completed a 169-mile section of 8” diameter pipeline in Texas, thus starting a new era of pipe line construction. Over the years, Price developed other innovative welding techniques, such as shield arc welding, removable backup-rings and the “stove pipe” method of welding around a pipe, as well as being the first to use pipeline coating systems for buoyancy control.

Among Price’s early stand-out accomplishments was installing some of the first large diameter pipelines ever envisioned. The “Big-Inch” pipeline, a 24” pipeline, was built to deliver fuel from the Gulf Coast to Naval Operations on the Atlantic seaboard during World War II, and the “Biggest-Inch” pipeline, a 30” diameter high pressure gas pipeline, extended from the Colorado River to Los Angeles. Such pipelines are common place now-a-days thanks to Price’s pioneering. In addition to constructing hundreds of pipelines nationwide over the years, Price also completed pipelines in the Middle East and North Africa.

PGI and its companies have installed more Arctic and Sub-Arctic pipelines than any other pipeline contractor in the Western Hemisphere. PGI’s first exposure to Arctic conditions came during World War II, when they built a 1,700-mile oil line in Canada between Fort Norman and Whitehorse to supply fuel to the defenses based in Alaska. The challenges of this project included welding in extreme cold and crossing the four-mile wide McKenzie River.

PGI established its Alaska Division in 1975 when it was awarded Section 3 of the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline, (TAPS), the 144-mile stretch from the Yukon River to Fairbanks. The pipeline crossed two fault zones in this mountainous section, and offered challenges to both the engineers and construction workers alike. After TAPS, Price continued to perform work in the North Slope oil fields, constructing pipelines and branching out into constructing oil field facilities and installing massive sealift modules.

Over the last three decades, PGI has supported the development of the North Slope Alaska oil industry, having installed approximately 20% of the its facilities and over 40% of the pipeline distribution system.

Since its establishment in Alaska, PGI has diversified to become a major constructor of infrastructure projects and electrical generating utilities. In the late-1980’s, Price successfully completed two projects for the Army Corps of Engineers in Fairbanks. The first was the expansion of the coal-fired power plant at Eielson Air Force Base, which included a new state of the art instrumentation system. The second project was the expansion of water, heating, electrical and sewage utilities at Fort Wainwright.

In 1990, PGI constructed a 90-megawatt hydroelectric power plant at Bradley Lake, remotely located at the head of Kachemak Bay near Homer. This project included fabricating the powerhouse building, installation and testing of all equipment and support systems, and installing the first and only gas-insulated substation in Alaska. Logistics and barging items into a tidal zone area added to the challenge of this project.

In 1994, PGI was awarded the construction of the Healy Clean Coal Project, a 50-megawatt power plant near Denali National Park. The project was part of a Department of Energy sponsored program to demonstrate clean coal burning technology, and included new and unique technology, including installing special coal combustors for maximum burning efficiency and scrubbers to remove sulfur-containing gases.

In 2003, PGI was a major infrastructure installation contractor for the Ground Based Mid-Course Missile Defense project at Ft. Greely, Alaska. This work was performed under seven separate contracts working concurrently.

In 2004, PGI was awarded the contract for the Engineering, Procurement and Construction of the North Pole Expansion Project from Golden Valley Electric Association. The plant is a new gas fired 60 mega-watt co-generation high efficiency power plant at North Pole Alaska utilizing GE gas and steam turbine generators and a once-through steam generator.

PGI is proud to promote its diverse capabilities and will continue to provide its clients with a reliable source for its contracting needs in this time of Alaska’s changing economy.