Alaska Gasline Development Corp (AGDC) has secured the last major permit from the US government it needed before taking a decision on proceeding with the in-state $10bn Alaska Stand Alone Pipeline (ASAP Pipeline).

Pipeline sunset.

Image: The ASAP Pipeline is a proposed 36inch natural gas pipeline in Alaska. Photo: courtesy of outgunned21/Freeimages.com.

The latest permit to the 1,180km long ASAP Pipeline came from the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) with support from other agencies in a joint record of decision.

The proposed project is a 36inch natural gas pipeline in Alaska designed to supply the North Slope gas production to the south-central region of the northwest US state. It will have a capacity to transport up to 500 million cubic feet per day of consumer grade lean gas.

The low pressure pipeline will be laid from Prudhoe Bay to Point MacKenzie, with a 48km long lateral line linking the main pipeline and Fairbanks. The pipeline project’s objective is to develop an affordable, long-term energy solution for Fairbanks, South-central, and other parts of the state.

The pipeline project also includes a gas conditioning facility (GCF) on North Slope at Prudhoe Bay on a 90.6 acre gravel pad, which will be used for conditioning the raw natural gas. The facility will also handle the compression for the project.

Construction of the ASAP Pipeline is estimated to last for four years and is likely to involve 8,000 roles during the period. The project is expected to break ground this year and begin delivery of gas to communities by 2023.

The ASAP Pipeline is associated with the $45bn Alaska LNG Project of AGDC to be built on the North Slope. The Alaska LNG project is proposed to be an integrated LNG system with a capacity of 20 million tons per annum (MTPA), which will liquefy the gas produced from the Prudhoe Bay and Point Thomson fields.

The LNG project will feature a three train-liquefaction plant located at Nikiski in South central Alaska and a 42inch 1,287km long gas pipeline to transport 3.3 billion cubic feet natural gas a day from the North Slope to Southcentral Alaska.

AGDC spokesman Tim Fitzpatrick was quoted by Reuters as saying: “We see Alaska Stand Alone as a backup plan. We are mostly focused on Alaska LNG.”