WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Alaska LNG is a proposed gas treatment plant geared to process more than three billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, and will require more than 250,000 tons of steel and a footprint over 200 acres, according to the project’s website.
“The Energy Department announced today that it has issued a conditional authorization for the Alaska LNG Project, LLC (Alaska LNG) to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States,” The Department of Energy said.
The Energy Department authorization will allow Alaska LNG to export 2.55 billion standard cubic feet per day of natural gas for a period of 30 days while being subjected to environmental review and final regulatory approval.
The Energy Department explained it looked at Alaska LNG’s application separately from other natural gas export applications, because of Alaska natural resources’ geographical isolation.
US federal law requires approval of natural gas exports to countries without an FTA with the United States, according to the Energy Department. The Natural Gas Act directs the Energy Department to authorize export permits unless the Department finds that the proposed exports are not in the public good.
Alaska’s North Slope has been a stranded resource unavailable to commercial markets.