Brendan Duval brings bold LNG vision to Anchorage: ‘Get ready to be overwhelmed’

Brendan Duval, founder and CEO of Glenfarne Group, took the main stage at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference on Thursday, delivering a dynamic presentation that blended personal history with ambitious projections for Alaska’s natural gas future.

Duval, who now leads the company working with the state to develop the Alaska LNG project, began by introducing himself to the crowd of about 1,000 attendees at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage, saying they may as well get to know him because he will be working with a lot of them. He shared that he holds dual citizenship in the United States and Australia, and that he worked his way through college as a welder before eventually launching Glenfarne, a global energy infrastructure firm.

“I understand what it takes to build something from the ground up,” Duval said, emphasizing the importance of workforce development in Alaska.

“We are going to overwhelm the local workforce, so you guys better get ready,” he warned, signaling the scale and urgency of the project’s labor demands.

The presentation turned into a high-energy exchange as Duval was joined on stage by Gov. Mike Dunleavy for a public discussion on the project’s viability and potential economic impact.

“Alaska is facing an energy emergency in the Southcentral region and along the Railbelt, one that could undermine the operational integrity of our military bases,” said Gov. Mike Dunleavy to Must Read Alaska after the two left the stage. “This makes it critical to swiftly address the crisis by bringing natural gas from the North Slope through the 42-inch pipeline, with a target date of 2028. The project is economically sound, enjoys support from both Washington and Alaska, has all necessary permits in place, and is backed by known gas reserves and commitments from Asian allies. At this point, all we’re waiting on is an expedited FEED (front-end engineering and design) and a final investment decision to move forward.”

Key takeaways from Duval’s remarks included:

• Workforce surge expected: Duval’s comment about overwhelming the workforce underscored the need to rapidly scale up local training and hiring. The in-state component of the project alone is expected to require thousands of skilled laborers and support personnel.
• In-state phase is economically sound: Duval referenced a recent analysis by energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie, saying the report confirms that even the in-state portion of the Alaska LNG pipeline is economically viable. That phase would deliver natural gas to Alaskans along the route before reaching international markets.
• Global price advantage: According to Duval, Alaska is well-positioned to outcompete Henry Hub prices — the U.S. benchmark for natural gas — in Asian markets by as much as 150% in some pricing scenarios. The projection reflects both shorter shipping routes and high Asian demand for U.S. LNG.

This kind of effort is not new to Duval and his company. But he noted that he has never had an opportunity where so much groundwork had already been laid — including permits, rights-of-way, and engineering studies. In contrast to starting from scratch, much of the heavy lifting has already been completed for this project. He also emphasized the phased structure of the project, which allows tranches of funding to be leveraged upon the successful completion of each phase.

“Never has this project had more tailwind, more support, more advantage, and more need — both in-state and globally — for Alaska’s energy,” said Brett Huber of Power the Future, which represents the interests of energy workers. “Power the Future is bullish on the success of AKLNG.”

Duval’s appearance was a highly anticipated moment at the conference. Earlier in the week, his company announced it had received over $115 billion in investment interest in the project.

The Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference continues through the week, drawing government officials, investors, and innovators from around the world.