(SitNews) Anchorage, Alaska - Members of the Joint Senate Resources Committee met Monday in Anchorage to hear from leaders of the Alaska LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) Project. The AKLNG project has the potential to create between 9,000 and 15,000 jobs during the design and construction phases plus approximately 1,000 jobs for continued operations. In addition to generating billions of dollars in revenue for Alaska, the gasline will provide access to natural gas for Alaskans.

Joint Senate/Resources Committee Meets in Anchorage and receives update on progress of Alaska LNG Project
Photo courtesy Joint Senate/Resources Committee

“We are engaged in data collection to make informed choices on a large diameter gas line. These are NOT ‘studies’ as some folks call them,” said Senate Resources Chair Cathy Giessel (R-Anchorage Hillside/Turnagain/N. Kenai). “We are collecting facts on environmental, archeological, hydrology, and important design features. No one builds a house without plans and cost estimates. Alaska must be clear about the design and costs of a $45-65 billion project before we make a final commitment to build.”

According to AKLNG Project Manager Steve Butt, more than 300,000 hours of work and $100 million of regulatory and field work have gone into the project so far. The project represents the largest single investment in Alaska history, as well as the largest stand-alone project in US history.

According to the AKLNG presentation, several major milestones have been met including the most recent achievement, the Department of Energy (DOE) posting the export application to the Federal Register on September 17th. This step of the process helps secure the right to export Alaska’s natural gas to other nations.

This milestone followed the National Environmental Policy Act pre-file request being approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on September 12th, which starts the process on for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

“[Monday] we heard about progress on the large gas pipeline for Alaskans,” said Senator Giessel. “This has never happened before. The Legislature can be very proud of our hard work to get to this point, in collaboration with the Parnell administration. Alaska has a bright future for our families.”

The Alaska LNG Project is anchored by the Prudhoe Bay and Point Thomson fields. These fields are expected to deliver on average about 3.5 billion cubic feet of gas per day with about 75% from the Prudhoe Bay field and 25% from the Point Thomson field.

An 800-mile pipeline will use proven technologies that enable safe operations while minimizing impact to the environment. Nikiski is the lead site for a liquefaction plant where gas will be cooled and condensed to 1/600th of its previous volume.

The meeting was open to public testimony.

Edited by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

On the Web:

Alaska LNG Project
http://www.ak-lng.com

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