The Alaska Gasline Development Corp. (AGDC) filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on April 17 for a permit to build the Alaska LNG project that will tap an estimated 35 Tcf of North Slope natural gas.

The integrated gas infrastructure development features three major components:

  • A gas treatment plant at Prudhoe Bay with average capacity of 3.5 Bcf/d;
  • An 800-mile pipeline to south-central Alaska with eight compressor stations, throughput capacity of 3.1 Bcf/d and up to five offtakes for in-state use; and
  • A natural gas liquefaction plant in Nikiski to produce 20 million tons a year of LNG for export.

“Today’s FERC filing marks a major milestone in moving the Alaska LNG project forward,” said AGDC President Keith Meyer in a statement. “This is the culmination of over 1 million man hours invested in project engineering and design, more than 193,000 acres mapped, over 300 streams surveyed, thousands of boreholes drilled along the proposed route and approximately 50,000 pages of material submitted to FERC.”

AGDC anticipates that its project will create 9,000 to 12,000 jobs for design and construction, in additions to 700 to 1,000 long-term operations positions. While providing gas for Alaskans, it will also generate revenue to the state government from exports.

FERC will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the project as well as coordinate permit applications with other federal agencies.

AGDC also filed major permit applications with four additional federal agencies, including the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, and National Marine Fisheries Service.