Japan’s largest liquefied natural gas importer, JERA Co., has indicated interest in buying LNG from the Alaska LNG project.
The news, first reported by Bloomberg, was leaked just before private companies and government officials head to Alaska for a week of energy talks and possible deals, as well as a summit roundtable meeting with Sen. Dan Sullivan.
JERA, also the largest power producer in Japan, has submitted its written expression of interest, which is particularly notable as the company is among the world’s most influential LNG buyers and often serves as a bellwether for broader demand trends in Asia.
The company’s decision to explore a deal with Alaska adds weight to the state’s hopes of becoming a new player in global LNG markets amid shifting geopolitical dynamics and growing demand for stable energy supplies in East Asia. Already, Thailand and India are said to be interested in purchasing and Alaska LNG.
The Alaska LNG project, which includes a gas treatment plant on the North Slope, an 800-mile pipeline to Southcentral Alaska, and a liquefaction and export facility in Nikiski, has been a stop-and-go project for over a decade. The company that is now the majority owner of the project, Glenfarne, is now entering the front-end engineering and design phase of the project, the last step before a final investment decision.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy and other state leaders have emphasized the importance of the LNG project as a means of diversifying Alaska’s economy and providing long-term revenue streams beyond oil.
Global energy leaders, policy experts, and investors from across four continents will convene in Anchorage next week for the 2025 Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference, a major summit hosted by Gov. Dunleavy. Now in its fourth year, the event has grown into one of the most significant forums for discussing the future of sustainable energy in the Arctic and beyond.
The weeklong gathering will feature participants from at least 10 countries and a wide range of sectors, from traditional oil and gas to advanced nuclear, digital infrastructure, and renewable technologies. Sessions will explore the policy, investment, and innovation needed to power the global energy transition—while also spotlighting Alaska’s strategic role in that evolution.
- Governor’s Energy Cabinet Lunch: Gov. Dunleavy will host a high-level lunch featuring three key federal officials — Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin — who are expected to share perspectives on federal-state cooperation and national energy priorities.
- Keynote Address by Alex Epstein: Best-selling author and founder of the Center for Industrial Progress, Alex Epstein, will deliver a keynote speech. Epstein is widely known for his controversial but influential views on the moral case for fossil fuels in the context of modern energy policy.
- Global LNG Spotlight – Glenfarne Presentation: Gov. Dunleavy will introduce Brendan Duval, CEO of Glenfarne Group, in a dedicated session focused on the company’s global LNG strategy and interest in Alaskan energy assets.
- Nuclear Energy Panel: A featured session titled “From Development to Deployment: Public Policy and Private Sector Drivers for Advanced Nuclear Energy” will bring together representatives from the Nuclear Energy Institute, BWXT Advanced Technologies, Westinghouse, and Radiant. The discussion will center on how emerging nuclear technologies can complement Alaska’s remote energy needs and bolster US energy security.
- Data Infrastructure and Energy Demand: Leaders from DigitalBridge and Corley Energy will speak on “The Intersection of Data and Energy Demand,” addressing the surging power requirements of data centers and the role of sustainable energy in powering the digital economy.
The conference is expected to generate a lot of dialogue around energy innovation, Alaska’s resource potential, and the strategic decisions shaping energy futures worldwide.
The Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference will take place in downtown Anchorage, with sessions open to registered attendees and media coverage throughout the week.
US Senator Dan Sullivan will lead a roundtable discussion with Interior Secretary and National Energy Dominance Council Chair Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Environmental Protection AgencyAdministrator Lee Zeldin, Gov. Mike Dunleavy and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, along with representatives from Alaska’s resource development sectors and trade unions, on Sunday, June 1 at 9:30 am. The roundtable will focus on implementation of President Trump’s Executive Order 14153, “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential,” and the opportunities and unique challenges in responsibly developing Alaska’s natural resources.
Talk is cheap. Steel is expensive. We shall see.
Seems you cup is half empty all the time.
I’m an engineer/manager who has significant experience in the LNG business, and this project simply looks uncompetitive when compared to others around the globe. It’s not just my opinion, it’s the opinion of professional evaluation firms who review and rank projects of this type on a global basis for the industry. Sure, I’d love to see it happen, but it appears to be irrational exuberance at present.
Spoken like a true (D)em. It’s always “can’t” with the (D)s. Anything beats the past 40 years of watching (D)ems piss on any and every hope for expanding energy production in Alaska. This is exactly why Southcentral is in such trouble, coming down to the finish line with no prospects other than freezing in the dark. I’ll go with this LNG hope since it will bring the pipe through Southcentral. Sit this one out, Mr. Natural Gas.
The math talks, and hope walks. You “can’t” hope your way into profitability. The main reason why Alaskan natural gas hasn’t been piped anywhere is the cost, and the second main reason is the stupidity (recall the TransCanada blown opportunity: ‘https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_gas_pipeline
“……..In May 2012 TransCanada formally closed their open season. TransCanada’s license with the AGIA required that they file a complete application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in October 2012 for a certificate to build and operate the pipeline. In May 2012 the state of Alaska granted TransCanada a two-year postponement of the deadline to give them more time to explore the best market for Alaska gas. By the summer of 2014 the project became more focused on export, so the state and TransCanada terminated their AGIA agreement……….”Canada my ass; It’s Alaska’s gas………”)
Very cool. This is something I’ve been mentioning:
“Data Infrastructure and Energy Demand: Leaders from DigitalBridge and Corley Energy will speak on “The Intersection of Data and Energy Demand,” addressing the surging power requirements of data centers and the role of sustainable energy in powering the digital economy.”
I hope for a gas line, only thing I believe should be the number 1 priority is Alaska is the first when it comes to supply.
Interesting that JERA has signed a letter of interest in the AKLNG project considering that they just signed a 20-year contract with NextDecade Energy for LNG from their Rio Grande facility in Brownsville Texas. Further, the Rio Grande facility is looking at expanding to fourth and fifth trains and Lower 48 natural gas storage is increasing, as well as export facilities (there are about 20 moving along in the development process currently).
I’m still waiting for the actual suppliers on the slope to weigh in. Their silence is deafening.
Amazing, after more than 30 years, to see how many believers are still out there.
Japanese involvement in a NS gas deal would be much like the export that occurred from Nikiski for many years but at a larger scale. The Japanese will value the security of supply and certainty of delivery.
Geothermal heat would be highly excessabie in Alaska and we are not even utilizing it.
Bradley J Russell
Where in Alaska do you imagine geothermal to be “highly excessabie”?
The current world price for LNG is about $3.2 mmbtu, the current estimate for the Alaska LNG project requires a world price between $9 to $12 mmbtu to make a profit. The math does not math, all of the posturing is to appease Trump’s moronic trade war
Trump’s “moronic trade war” is just a common sense reaction to the decades long trade imbalance transferring American wealth to countries around the globe for what?
Grifting leaders who can pimp their family out for extra cash (Bidens) or boost foreign contracts with family owned business… Dick Cheney comes to mind.
You’re a rare bird Andy. Trump’s moronic trade war will bankrupt America, destroy millions of lives and businesses and cannot work. But you believe Trump. Despite his astronomical unfitness for the office and his obvious lies and hypocrisy, you believe him. I cannot explain it. I wish I could. You are like quantum physics, it exists but no one can explain why.
“……. it exists but no one can explain why……….”
If you can’t explain Trump and the desperation of his supporters, you haven’t been paying attention. Trump has been selected by the desperate as the best of the offered evils, they’re correct, and that illustrates our collective, disastrous problem. But this is a problem as much rising from the bottom as oozing down from the top.
Frank,
Respectfully you are confusing natural gas pricing and LNG pricing. LNG is currently around $12 per mmbtu, natural gas is around $3 per mmbtu.
Steve o,
I commend you on clarifying Lng versus natural gas costs .
I need to study it .
Thanks.
Separately, have you noticed the loss of Israel’s reputation on the world stage ? Gaza boondoggle ?
Is it not clear now that a more humanitarian path should have been utilized?
How about the trainwreck of covid vaccines ? The verifiable proof they correlated with more deaths ? The have been proven to cause health issues and are no longer recommended for the young or healthy ? Are you ready to take back your bombastic support for those 2 boondoggles?
Current LNG Japan/Korea Marker is $12.46/MMBtu.
Current Dutch TTF Natural Gas is $12.17/MMBtu.
This week’s Harvey Hub Natural Gas price is $3.44/MMBtu
Stop your continuous lying.
The reason America and the producing world are building LNG delivery capacity is its a profitable business.
The Alaskan project has the highest pipeline tariff to overcome.
i
The world price for LNG is currently about $3.20 mmBTU, an Alaska LNG projects requires a world proice of at least $9 mmBTU to be financially viable. The math does not math. This is all about appeasing Donald Trump’s moronic trade policies
LNG is 3 to 4 times more expensive than natural gas. That’s a big hurdle to jump! A smaller diameter pipeline from the North Slope would certainly be welcome as it would supply Alaska’s energy needs for many decades, but it would probably have to be subsidized at first but, eventually, it would make Alaska energy independent and attractive to other industries that are dependent on a reliable and inexpensive energy grid.
Can Alaska’s governor do what President Trump is doing, eliminate the deep state, and cut the massive red tape that seems to be pricing Alaska’s oil and gas projects out of worldwide competition? This red tape and abuse are killing one oil and gas company after another, resulting in the constant decline of Alaskan oil and gas production and revenue loss.
The two biggest oil and gas operators produce 95% of Alaska’s production, which is kind of like a monopoly; the state seems to support this monopoly, as a few abusive bureaucrats choose winners and losers.
It may never be corrected if it is not seen as a problem. Many of us still surviving have told the leadership in the Dunleavey current administration, and it seems like someone is looking at these bad apples.
Over the last decade, with shameful results, many Alaska area-wide Cook Inlet and Alaska Peninsula DNR oil and gas lease sales have offered over 10 million acres annually. Some have received no bids, and others have received only a single bid on only a few tracts.
Why not be reasonable and offer oil and gas lease terms of 10 years, with a $1.00 per acre minimum bid and $1.00 per year rentals at a 12.5 % royalty to the state and reduce the bonding and permitting cost and approve Oil and Gas Units under the law upon request? This makes too much sense and has been rejected for decades. Partly because of this rejection, Alaskans are seeing the decline of oil and gas in Alaska under unreasonable, unfair, and harsh policies that seem to go unchecked. This appears to be changing for the better, but it is slow-moving.
A few pathological optimists like me are waiting for oil and gas policy improvements so that Alaska will become attractive again to worldwide oil and gas investors.
Everyone who cares about America wants to be part of the Energy Dominance plan and finally start drilling. This means prosperity for all, high-paying Jobs and opportunities for Alaskans and others.
Alaska needs many more oil and gas investors if the Gas Pipeline needs gas!
Current LNG Japan/Korea Marker is $12.46/MMBtu.
Current Dutch TTF Natural Gas is $12.17/MMBtu.
This week’s Harvey Hub Natural Gas price is $3.44/MMBtu
Stop your continuous lying.
The reason America and the producing world are building LNG delivery capacity is its a profitable business.
The Alaskan project has the highest pipeline tariff to overcome.
i