ATC Atlantic Coal

RNS No 0390d
ATLANTIC RICHFIELD COMPANY 
13th February 1998


ARCO BEGINS ALPINE OIL FIELD CONSTRUCTION FOLLOWING ISSUANCE OF FINAL PERMIT BY
U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Feb. 13/PRNewswire/ -- ARCO Alaska, Inc. has begun
construction of the Alpine oil field on Alaska's North Slope following issuance
of the final U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit.

Construction of the 365 million barrel oil field will take two years.  Initial
production of 40,000 barrels per day is expected in early 2000, with peak
production of 70,000 barrels per day in 2001.

Alpine,located 34 miles west of the ARCO-operated Kuparuk River oil field, is
56% owned by ARCO Alaska, Inc., a subsidiary of Los Angeles-based ARCO (NYSE:
ARC), Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: APC) (22%), and Union Teas Petroleum
Alaska, LLX (NYSE: UTH) (22%).

Permits issued by the Corps of Engineers and state and local governments allow
consturction of two gravel production pads, an airstrip, connecting gravel road
and installation of four pipeline crossings beneath the Colville River.
Production of the 40,000-acre oil field will require a surface development
encompassing only 100 acres.  A surface use agreement with Kuupik Corporation,
the local Native village corporation, ensures maintenance of subsistence
activities and cultural values, in addition to other considerations.

Plans also call for the drilling of up to three Alpine appraisal wells this
winter.  These wells are designed to test development concepts and to determine
if the Alpine formation contains additional reserves which could be produced
from the already permitted facilities.

ARCO and its partners announced plans to develop Alpine in Octobr 1996 after
completion of a 3-D seismic survey and a six-well, four-sidetrack delineation
drilling program.

"Issuance of these permits and the start of Alpine construction are another step
towards our production goal of 'No Decline After '99,'" said ARCO Alaska
President Kevin Meyers.  "Alpine development will create hundreds of jobs across
Alaska."

NOTE TO EDITORS: For information, contact: Ronnie Chappell, ARCO Alaska, (907)
263-4102.  For a menu of ARCO news releases or to retrieve a specific release,
visit our Web site at http://www.arco.com on the Internet.


END

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