Earlier this week, the Talkeetna Community Council received an update on the Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas Project at its monthly board meeting. Area residents learned a few new details about the plans for the gas pipeline and were able to ask questions regarding its route. KTNA’s Phillip Manning was there, and has this report:
A stop at the Talkeetna Community Council meeting was not on the original schedule for the AK LNG staff. Two open houses were scheduled for Sunshine and Trapper Creek, but the timing of the council meeting meant that Michael Nelson, Socioeconomic Lead for the project, was able to attend. Nelson says that the preferred route for AK LNG would travel through the Upper Valley west of the Susitna River, through the Trapper Creek area, on its way to Nikiski. Once in Nikiski, the plan calls for the gas to be liquefied and exported. Assembly Member Vern Halter was present at the meeting, and asked whether the project’s partners, which consist of BP, Conoco-Philips, Exxon-Mobil, and the State of Alaska, are set on using Nikiski as the final destination for the pipeline.
Halter: “So, you’re sold on Nikiski. There’s no changing Nikiski with you guys.”
Nelson: “It’s the preferred location, there’s no question about it.”
When Halter and some locals questioned the choice of Nikiski, Nelson responded that there were multiple factors that went into the decision, and that they did not include the fact that Nikiski is the home district of Representative Mike Chenault, current Speaker of the State House of Representatives.
“Every site has pros and cons, but when you take all the factors together and look at them together, Nikiski was the preferred site.”
The Mat-Su Borough Assembly has advocated for the potential use of Port MacKenzie for export of liquid natural gas. While that could still happen, it would involve creating a connection from the main pipeline to the Mat-Su port. Five such ‘off-takes’ will be built as part of the agreement between the state and oil companies, but where they will be has yet to be determined.
Some local residents had specific questions and concerns about the pipeline’s route, access to gas for Alaskans, and other issues. Talkeetna resident Ruth Wood says it’s important that AK LNG makes those questions part of the planning process.
“I’m sure, in every single community this is going to go through, wants the answers to those questions, and I want to make sure we get the answers before the route is permanent.”
Michael Nelson says that the concerns of people who live along the entire length of the proposed pipeline are being considered, and that the plan is still being formulated.
“I don’t want you to think that everything was decided five years ago, and we’re just—you know—just doing what we want to do. We’re serious about getting the feedback and using the best we can.”
Right now, AK LNG is in the Pre-front-end engineering and design, or Pre-FEED phase. It has also begun the process of filing for a permit to build the project from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. More meetings in the Upper Valley are likely as part of the permitting process in coming years.
