In the latest effort to strengthen national energy security and expand gas exports, the US President Donald Trump's Energy Security Council is scheduled to hold a summit in Alaska in early June, according to Reuters.
The summit is expected to see Japan and South Korea - two strategic allies of the US in Asia - announce investment commitments in the $44 billion Alaska LNG project. This is a project that Trump has repeatedly promoted as a "strateistic card", aiming to transport gas from mines in Northern Alaska via a 1,300 km pipeline serving domestic consumption and exports to Asia, bypassing the Panama Canal.
Although the Alaska LNG project has been mentioned for many years, actual progress is slow due to huge costs and high technical requirements. In that context, President Donald Trump has directly called on Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to support the plan, stressing the importance of allies buying more energy from the US.
A recent positive move is the signing of a Principal agreement with the Taiwan (China) CPC Petroleum Corporation (CPG) with the Alaska khi pipeline Development Corporation (AGDC) to purchase LNG and invest in the project. Taiwanese leader Lai Qingdi affirmed that the deal would help strengthen the island's energy security.
The Alaska summit, hosted by Trump's Energy Security Council, is scheduled for on June 2 - as initially revealed by The New York Times. The White House and the Department of Home Affairs have not yet made an official comment.
In the related developments, Thai officials, a country that could become a new customer of Alaska LNG, and South Korea also plan to visit Alaska within the next 2 weeks to survey and discuss further about the project. This will be the first time a Thai official has set foot in Alaska to discuss LNG since Mr. Trump entered his second term.
However, the outlook for South Korea is still open. In Washington on April 24, South Korean Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun said Seoul has no plans to announce any decision, stressing that "there are many issues that need to be thoroughly examined" before making a commitment, especially regarding a better understanding of the actual situation in Alaska.
Mr. Ahn said that South Korea will send an inspection team to Alaska and further decisions will be made after completing the assessment process.
