Alaska LNG gains milestone with export license
The U.S. federal Energy Department announced on Thursday it will license Liquified Natural Gas exports from Nikiski, even to countries that don’t have a free trade agreement with the U.S.
The authorization is conditional on winning final approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. But Sen. Lisa Murkowski says it’s a big boon for the project to bring North Slope natural gas to market.
“When you distill it down to, ‘what exactly does that mean?’ as one reporter asked, it basically means we can start selling our gas to anybody. So Japan: come on up. Taiwan? I don’t care where you’re coming from. Know that this project is real,” she said, at a luncheon today of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association.
Alaska LNG would be authorized to export up to 2.55 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day for 30 years. Alaska LNG is a partnership of the state, the producers and pipeline company TransCanada. The project, including a new trans-Alaska gas pipeline, are forecast to cost as much as $60 billion.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Arctic drilling doesn’t just effect the Arctic say Greenpeace campaign participants, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: Finns still sharply divided over wind power, Yle News
Greenland: Arctic oil and gas must stay in ground to restrict warming to 2°C says study, Blog by Mia Bennett
Iceland: From Arctic Circle 2013-2014, a big drop in the price of oil, Blog by Mia Bennett
Norway: Norway surpasses Russia as top gas supplier, Barents Observer
Russia: Parallels drawn between space race and Arctic offshore development, Blog by Mia Bennett
United States: Oil & gas revenue-sharing is ‘simple fairness,’ says Alaska senator, Blog by Mia Bennett
