Alaska LNG advances project with filing of FERC resource reports

A series of draft environmental and socioeconomic reports for the Alaska LNG Project has been submitted to the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which is responsible for conducting the environmental review of the project.

These reports also launch the pre-file public engagement process and provide preliminary baseline data about the project area and its potential impacts.

“These draft documents, known as Resource Reports, allow Alaska stakeholders to engage early in the regulatory process, so potential environmental and socioeconomic issues and opportunities can be proactively identified and managed,” said Steve Butt, project executive for the Alaska LNG Project. “They set the framework for the permitting process.”

The Alaska LNG Project is currently in the preliminary front end engineering and design (pre-FEED) phase of the project, which is expected to extend into 2016 with a gross spend of more than $500 million.

Because the project is still in the planning phase and details are still under development, the reports only provide preliminary baseline data about the project and its potential impacts. As the Alaska LNG Project design and scope become more defined, specific project impacts and their proposed mitigation measures will be included in second drafts of the Resource Reports, which are expected to be submitted to FERC in the next 12 to 18 months.

As each version of the Resource Reports is filed, there will be opportunity for stakeholders, including Alaskans, government entities and other interested parties to review and provide comments to the FERC.

The input collected will be used to prepare a project final permit application, currently anticipated to occur in late 2016. Once the formal application is filed, FERC will begin developing an Environmental Impact Statement.

The FERC’s pre-filing process allows for open and transparent interaction between the FERC staff and stakeholders of the Alaska LNG Project, and is intended for early identification and resolution of environmental and other important issues.

The Alaska LNG Project would provide significant economic benefits to Alaskans including state revenues, new job opportunities and access to decades of in-state natural gas for homes and businesses in Alaska. The Alaska LNG project is anticipated to create up to 15,000 jobs during construction and approximately 1,000 jobs for operation of the project.

A competitive, predictable, and durable fiscal and commercial environment is required for this unprecedented project to compete in global energy markets and to position the Alaska LNG Project for a successful investment decision.

The Alaska LNG Project participants are the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) and affiliates of Exxon Mobil, BP, ConocoPhillips and TransCanada.

The U.S. Department of Energy issued a Free Trade Agreement export authorization to the project in November 2014.

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