Project spotlight: Qilak LNG [Gas in Transition]

Project spotlight: Qilak LNG [Gas in Transition]

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Natural Gas News
Project spotlight: Qilak LNG [Gas in Transition]

Summary

Alaska is a big gas producer, but very little gets to market. Qilak LNG could change that, using harsh environment technology and its geography to create a competitive LNG offering. [Gas in Transition, Volume 3, Issue 3] by: Ross McCracken

Getting its natural resources to market has always been a struggle for Alaska. Huge oil finds eventually necessitated construction of the 800-mile Trans-Alaskan Oil Pipeline, a major feat of engineering completed in 1977. The pipeline brings oil from the state’s prolific North Slope to the ice-free Valdez Marine terminal for onward shipment. Oil production in the state peaked in 1988 at 2 mn b/d, but, by 2021, had declined to 437,000 b/d. Getting gas to market has been even more problematic, owing to its lower value and the distances involved. In fact, Alaska is a large gas producer. It had proved reserves of 37 trillion ft3 at the start of 2021 and last year gross withdrawals totalled 3.5 trillion ft3, close to record levels. Gas production has been on a gentle upward trend in recent years, as oil...