By the OGJ Online Staff
HOUSTON, July 19 -- Alaska has agreed to complete its review of the right-of-way application for the companies planning to build a gas pipeline from the North Slope to Alberta.
Foothills Pipe Lines Alaska Inc., on behalf of the Alaskan Northwest Natural Gas Transportation Co. partnership (ANNGTC), signed an agreement that requires ANNGTC to reimburse the state for the cost of processing the right-of-way application.
The line would follow the trans-Alaskan oil pipeline to Fairbanks, and then the Alaska Highway to Alberta.
Foothills said US and Canadian laws in the early 1980s designated ANNGTC, the partnership of Foothills and TransCanada PipeLines Ltd., to build and operate the Alaska portion of the Alaska Highway Pipeline, and Foothills and its affiliates to construct and operate the Canadian portion of the pipeline.
Foothills Vice-Pres. John Ellwood said, "This agreement is an important step in completing our land position for this project. Together with the 400 miles of right-of-way we have on federal lands in Alaska and our extensive right-of-way in Canada, we are in an excellent position to expedite the building of the pipeline."
Ellwood said the right-of-way application review, together with existing permits from US and Canadian regulatory agencies, gives the project an advantage over competitors. "Our approved route along the Alaska Highway through Canada can deliver that gas 2-3 years earlier than any greenfield project," he said.
