4-11-17 So who thinks Alaska LNG is competitive today?

From our Aussie energy analyst; more LNG from the Middle East:

So, does a new tranche of Quatarian gas make North American LNG less or more competitive? Regardless of your answer does anyone dispute that Alaskan Arctic LNG, with the liability of financing an 800 mile pipe in the high cost North, will be the last to be financed (i.e. without government subsidy)? -dh

Last week we reported on the Qatari announcement that the No. 1 gas exporting nation (but not quite No. 1 footballing nation) was lifting its 12 year moratorium on increasing gas exports. Of course this had nothing to do with Iran’s joint ownership of the world’s best gas-field – called either North Field/South Pars, depending on what side of the Gulf one is looking from.

We stress again that the importance of this development for globally traded gas cannot be overemphasised. Not only does this put a large amount of new Qatari LNG capacity right at the top of the LNG project queue (pushing everyone else down) – but it also signals that the Qatari’s fear Iran also aggressively entering the same market in the short/medium term.

One further issue that might be driving the Qataris – and again which has consequences for the global gas market – is a potential view that unless gas is produced in the next few decades it might just stay in the ground for ever. Such a view could be driven by politics in the form of international carbon emission limitation….

About the Author: wpnorthern

Dave Harbour, publisher of Northern Gas Pipelines, is a former Chairman of the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, a Commissioner Emeritus of NARUC, NARUC's Official Representative to IOGCC and Vice Chairman of NARUC's Gas Committee. He served as Gas Committee Chairman of the Western Conference of Public Service Commissioners. He also served as commissioner of the Anchorage Bicentennial Commission and the Anchorage Heritage Land Bank Commission. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree: English, at Colorado State University, a Master of Science Degree: Communications-Journalism at Murray State University and graduated from Utility Regulatory School for Commissioners at Michigan State University. He served as a Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs at Alaska Pacific University, taught bank marketing classes at the University of Alaska and was an English teacher at Los Alamos High School. Harbour served in ranks of Private - Captain during a 4-year assignment with the Army in Korea, Idaho, Georgia and Fort Meade and received the Meritorious Service Medal among other commendations. Harbour is also a past Chairman of the Alaska Council on Economic Education, the Alaska Oil & Gas Association Government Affairs Committee, the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, the Export Council of Alaska and the Department of Commerce's District Export Council. He is a past President of the Alaska Press Club, American Bald Eagle Foundation, Consumer Energy Alliance-Alaska and Common Sense for Alaska. Harbour was instrumental in founding the American Bald Eagle Research Institute (UAS), the Alaska Support Industry Alliance, the Downtown Anchorage Business Partnership, and Arctic Power. He also served as CEO of several small Alaska organizations, including the Anchorage Parking Authority and Action Security, Inc. Harbour is also Chairman Emeritus of the Alaska Oil & Gas Congress. Harbour's wife, Nancy, is a professional, performing arts administrator and his three boys, Todd, Benjamin and William work in the fields of environmental management, energy marketing and medicine.