2023-04-14 17:43:18 ET
The Biden administration has followed up its recent approval of ConocoPhillips' Willow project with an authorization for a major liquefied natural gas export plant in Alaska that eventually could help the U.S. compete with Russia to ship natural gas from the Arctic to Asia.
The Department of Energy issued an order Thursday reaffirming a Trump-era authorization to allow the export of 2.5B cf/day from Alaska Gasline Development Corp.'s proposed Alaska LNG liquefaction terminal, which would be one of the largest export terminals and the only one currently planned for Alaska.
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Alaska LNG would include a liquefaction facility on the Kenai Peninsula in southern Alaska and a proposed 807-mile pipeline to move gas from northern Alaska across the state.
Backers of the planned ~$39B project hope it will be operational by 2030 if it gets financing and all the necessary permits.
Environmental groups are angry about the approval, but Department of Energy will recommend a step it said would reduce the plant's emissions, requiring Alaska LNG to certify each month that its feedgas, when produced, did not result in the venting of byproduct carbon dioxide.
The DoE said it did not evaluate the long-term viability of the project, and only approved its exports.
Despite the Willow project approval, ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance said President Biden is still no friend to the fossil fuel industry .
For further details see:
Biden approves another expansion of Alaska fossil fuels development