Alaska governor discussing possible gas exports to Asia

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell discussed the possible export of natural gas from Alaska to Asia during a Dec. 10 meeting in Juneau with Korea Gas Corp.’s Chief Executive Kangsoo Choo. Parnell said he has scheduled meetings with other potential buyers of Alaska gas.

A consortium of energy companies plans to build a $45 billion pipeline to move gas from Alaska's North Slope via the proposed Alaska Pipeline Project to a port on the southern coast, where gas would be processed at a proposed liquefaction plant and sent to Asia via LNG vessels.

ExxonMobil Corp., ConocoPhillips, BP PLC, and TransCanada Corp. have been in communication with Parnell’s office about their plans. The companies say they are working within a framework set out by the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act.

Parnell considers getting Alaska's gas produced and sent to markets as one of the state’s top priorities.

“These efforts are critical because an Alaska project must compete with other large-scale LNG projects under development around the world,” the governor said.