Washington (AFP) – President Donald Trump said this week that Japan and South Korea were looking to work with the United States on a “gigantic” natural gas pipeline in Alaska. Here’s what we know about the project, the latest twist in a long-stalled plan to build a 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) pipeline across the sprawling state to produce liquefied natural gas (LNG) that will be shipped to Asia on tankers.
– ‘Drill, baby, drill’ –
“My administration is also working on a gigantic natural gas pipeline in Alaska, among the largest in the world, where Japan, South Korea and other nations want to be our partner with investments of trillions of dollars each,” Trump said Tuesday in his first address to Congress since returning to power. “It will be truly spectacular. It’s all set to go,” he added. Trump doubled down on fossil fuels on his first day in office, declaring a “national energy emergency” to expand drilling in the United States. He signed a flurry of sweeping energy-related federal orders and pledged to “drill, baby, drill” — vowing to reverse offshore drilling bans, unpause permits for LNG facilities and resume drilling on protected land in Alaska.
– Stalled plans –
Work on a gas pipeline in Alaska first began in the 1970s, after large natural gas reserves were discovered in Prudhoe Bay in 1967. But the project was abandoned due to a lack of economic viability. Plans for a pipeline re-emerged in the 2000s, pushed by Alaska’s then-governor Sarah Palin. Despite backing from energy giants including BP and ExxonMobil, that project also flopped for financial reasons. Trump’s project, “Alaska LNG”, comes with an estimated $44-billion price tag and is led by US group Glenfarne. The pipeline is expected to be up and running by 2030 at the earliest.
– Short journey –
The pipeline will transport natural gas extracted from the vast reserves at Prudhoe Bay and around Point Thomson in northern Alaska to the south, where it will be transformed into LNG. Almost entirely underground, the pipeline will be able to transport around 100 million cubic meters of gas daily to Nikiski, near the transport hub of Anchorage. The LNG will finally be transported by tanker to Asia, its main market, in a relatively short seven to nine-day journey across the Pacific Ocean.
– Asian market –
In February, Trump said Washington and Tokyo were discussing a form of joint venture relating to Alaska oil and gas. Speaking at a joint press conference at the time with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Trump added that Japan would import new levels of US natural gas “in record numbers”, without giving specifics. The Philippines and Taiwan have also expressed interest in gas from Alaska. South Korea’s trade ministry told AFP on Wednesday that they were in discussions on the project — but said it was at an early stage.
© 2024 AFP
