TAGS SPONSORS DEFER SOME PROJECT SPENDING

Sponsors of the $11 billion Trans-Alaska Gas System to export Alaskan North Slope gas as LNG to the Far East have deferred certain spending on the project. Yukon Pacific Corp. (YPC), Anchorage, citing lack of buyer commitments needed for a projected start-up in 1997, is deferring outlays on some front end engineering aspects of the project. The move means layoff of about 20 YPC personnel and scaling back certain undisclosed engineering contracts. Bechtel Corp. is undertaking preliminary design