Oil & Gas
RSSNorth Slope oil & gas operations: Willow, Pikka, Point Thomson, production economics, tax debates, pipeline politics (TAPS)
Dunleavy's LNG bill would swap a graduated S corp tax topping 9.4% for a flat 2%
Governor Dunleavy sent the Legislature an Alaska LNG tax bill with a flat 2% S corporation tax, delaying the rate's start to 2030 and removing a provision that could have cut borough education aid.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago3 min readAI
Alaska Senate Majority says gasline tax break waits on Glenfarne financial numbers
Alaska's Senate majority won't lock in the gasline tax break without firm cost numbers — now on Glenfarne and Dunleavy, as estimates range from $45B to $70B.
by Walter AlaskaNews4d ago4 min readAI
Alaska Senate Majority sets Anchorage press availability on stalled gas session
Alaska's fourth special session on the gas pipeline tax has gone two weeks without a vote, as a looming Cook Inlet supply cliff raises the stakes.
by Walter AlaskaNews4d ago2 min readAI
Alaska lacks the skilled workers for the LNG project, a report says
A state analysis says Alaska can't train enough workers for the LNG project — even as the state that funds much of that training warned of the gap in 2018.
by Walter AlaskaNews4d ago2 min readAI
Enstar tells Alaska Gas Line Caucus it could be 18 days short of gas this winter
Enstar told lawmakers it could run 18 days short of gas this winter if Cook Inlet supply stays low, but the Alaska LNG pipeline pitched to fix the problem won't arrive in time to help.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago3 min readAI
Legislators to hear the case for a gas line as the effort stalls
A minority caucus will host an Anchorage gasline listening session with only supporters, as the effort sits stalled in a third special session with no bill.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
Peltola's energy platform draws fire from both sides in the race
Mary Peltola rolled out an energy platform in her Senate race against Dan Sullivan, drawing rebuttals from his campaign and from Alaska environmental groups.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
Senate majority to regulators: reconsider the rejected gas storage project, and make BlueCrest produce
Senate majority members want a rejected gas storage project revisited and an idle Cook Inlet lease produced — amid a fight over who fixes the gas crunch.
by Walter AlaskaNews4d ago3 min readAI
A Hilcorp gravel-mine permit reflects the North Slope's expanding oil footprint
Hilcorp wants a new North Slope gravel mine — one small permit amid a gravel-demand surge as Arctic oil development expands and converts wetlands, one project at a time.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
HB 381 exempts Alaska LNG project property from municipal taxes, replaces with volumetric splits
HB 381 replaces municipal property taxes on the Alaska LNG project with a new volumetric tax. • Phase 1 revenue splits favor pipeline communities while Phase 2 directs 48 percent to the Kenai Peninsula Borough. • The state expects the project to generate 26 billion dollars over 30 years. • Tax changes expire if construction misses a December 31 2034 deadline.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min readAI
Cook Inlet's oil and gas discharge rules expired in 2021, and EPA is finally rewriting them
The rules for what oil and gas exploration can discharge into federal Cook Inlet waters expired in 2021 and have run on an extension. EPA is rewriting them.
by Walter AlaskaNews6d ago1 min readAI
Interior proposes easing Arctic offshore drilling safety rules
The Trump administration proposed easing post-Deepwater Horizon safety rules for Arctic offshore drilling off Alaska, reviving the spill-risk debate.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
Hilcorp says opposing the tax isn't opposing the gas line
Hilcorp told the gas-line caucus that opposing a targeted tax on the company isn't opposing the pipeline, even as that tax deadlocks the bill in Juneau.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago3 min readAI
Draft settlement would protect ANWR leasing terms
A draft settlement would bar Washington from shrinking ANWR leasing below what Congress required, a win the state and Kaktovik's drilling backers wanted.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
Utility warns of rolling blackouts in Southcentral as soon as this winter
At a Municipality of Anchorage press conference last week, MEA's CEO warned that Southcentral could see rolling blackouts as soon as November if Cook Inlet gas falls short — the first time in 45 years he says he can't guarantee power.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1w ago2 min readAI
A North Slope river keeps chewing toward the pipeline, and Alyeska keeps armoring it
For the second time this year, Alyeska wants to stack rock along the Sagavanirktok River to keep it from eroding toward the buried Trans-Alaska Pipeline.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAI
The state is being asked to bank on a gas line price it may never fully see
Alaska is weighing tax breaks and $800 million for a gas pipeline whose developer says the true cost may never be public. Its disclosed estimate already jumped $10 billion.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
Alaska House passes new tax structure for Alaska LNG pipeline aimed at attracting investors
The Alaska House just passed the latest tax framework meant to finally install the LNG pipeline. Next, the Senate. Maybe. Pipeline still pending.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min readAI
Alaska Senate passes LNG bill as Republicans warn it kills financing
Alaska's Senate passed its LNG bill 11-8, and Senate Republicans immediately said the added taxes and labor rules make the pipeline unfinanceable.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min readAI
Alaska LNG tax bill advances as working draft, disputes unresolved
Alaska lawmakers advanced a working draft of HB 381, the tax framework for Alaska LNG, but disputes over the alternative volumetric tax remain unresolved.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago3 min readAI
Alaska Senate passes HB 381 oil and gas tax bill 11-8, with dissenters signaling more work ahead
Alaska Senate passed HB 381, the main bill enabling AK LNG, 11-8 Thursday, but dissenters flagged unresolved questions about a new income tax on oil and gas pass-through entities.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min readAI
Alaska's gas-pipeline bill now carries a tax on Hilcorp and others
A permanent tax on pass-through oil companies like Hilcorp is riding inside Alaska's gas-pipeline bill — and it kicks in by 2028 whether the pipeline gets built or not.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min readAI
A leaked plan to fire Alaska's gas-line developer surfaces in Juneau
A "stolen" state document laying out how Alaska could fire Glenfarne from its $44B gas line leaked — and the developer says it's now wondering whether Alaska can keep a secret.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min readAI
AIDEA authorized $190 million for ANWR — backed by Kaktovik, the residents
AIDEA put $190M behind ANWR seismic and lease bidding. Kaktovik — the only community inside the refuge — strongly supported it.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska Senate passes S-corp LNG tax with 2028 effective date
Alaska Senate passed a tax on oil and gas pass-through entities, effective 2028, after rejecting an immediate start date. The state estimates the tax will recover more than $400 million annually once the LNG project reaches full production.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min readAI
ANWR lease sale draws $3.74m in winning bids from AIDEA, Hex Energy
The Arctic Refuge lease sale brought in $3.7 million from two bidders, a modest showing compared with the recent NPR-A sale’s 11 companies and $163 million-plus in receipts.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min readAI
ENSTAR says it locked in a price for Alaska LNG
ENSTAR locked in $16 per thousand cubic feet for North Slope pipeline gas, undercutting LNG imports at $20 to $23 but raising costs 48% above current Cook Inlet supply before adding $4.50 to $6 in distribution and storage charges.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska's gas-line bill clears the Senate — and the governor immediately moves to undo it
Special session concludes without passage of a gasline bill, and now the question is if this is an end to negotiations or if they'll continue tomorrow. The Governor thinks they're close.
by Cale Green1mo ago3 min readAI
DEC issues proposed final APDES permit for Hilcorp's Prudhoe Bay discharge
DEC issued a proposed permit allowing Hilcorp to discharge 12.4 million gallons of treated seawater daily into Stefansson Sound near Nuiqsut, reviving an authorization that expired in late 2022.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readAI
Alaska News Roundup: Gas pipeline tax fight, Point Thomson trade-off, and McNeil River access debate
This episode covers the week's major Alaska stories: a gas pipeline tax bill that added oil tax increases, the Point Thomson condensate trade-off for pipeline gas, Mount Edgecumbe enrollment crisis, and McNeil River bear sanctuary access proposals.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min readAI
Buried under the Kenai refuge: seismic data on a stranded Cook Inlet gas find is about to go public
As Southcentral eyes a gas shortage, old seismic data on Shadura — an undeveloped Cook Inlet gas find near Nikiski, stuck under the Kenai refuge — is set to go public.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Energy consultant tells House Finance that property tax makes Alaska LNG unfinanceable
Energy consultant says property tax costs $600 million yearly, making Alaska LNG unfinanceable.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min readAI
Senate Finance hears $18 billion revenue trade-off for Alaska LNG tax break
Senate Finance heard the proposed Alaska LNG tax break would cut state and municipal revenues by $18 billion over 30 years, but the estimate rests on construction costs that may range from $45 billion to $90 billion.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska House ties 19-19 on gas line bill, killing it for now
Alaska House deadlocked 19-19 on the Alaska LNG bill July 16, stalling gas supply plans as Cook Inlet production declines toward 2027 shortages.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
Justice Department concedes Biden-era Arctic Refuge leasing program violated the law
The Justice Department conceded Alaska was right that the 2024 Arctic Refuge leasing program violated federal law by capping development below what Congress allowed.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Alaska LNG could cost $70 billion; state's 25% stake faces dilution
Alaska’s LNG project may have just gotten a $24 billion “whoops.” The state has been planning around a $46 billion price tag, but lawmakers were told the real number may be closer to $70 billion — which is less of a budget update and more of a financial jump scare.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska LNG's cheap-gas promise hinges on exports — and on costs staying in line
New state numbers on Alaska LNG: exports are what make gas cheap for Alaskans (about $5/mcf vs. $12.65 without them), but a cost overrun could push the export price above what buyers pay.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska Senate digs in on gas tax bill, sends it to conference
Alaska Senate refused to back down on HB 381, sending the natural gas pipeline tax bill to a conference committee to resolve how to tax the Alaska LNG Project and fund municipalities and schools.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska LNG project secures financing proposals, targets 2027 construction start
Alaska LNG secured private financing to build 800-mile pipeline from North Slope to Cook Inlet, targeting 2027 construction start and 2029 gas delivery. • Needs tax stabilization law and utility regulator approval to proceed. • Export facility would sell 20 million tonnes of LNG yearly, mostly to Asia. • Project addresses Cook Inlet gas shortage and aims to lower Alaska energy costs.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Glenfarne's own cost estimate for Alaska LNG is now significantly higher than AGDC's — and the state's equity option sits in the middle of the new math
Glenfarne raised Alaska LNG cost estimate to 44.5 to 54.5 billion dollars, up from state agency's 38.7 billion. • Legislature can buy 5 to 25 percent equity stake within 180 days after final investment decision. • Property tax reform is central to project financing, with current rates costing roughly 380 million dollars yearly during construction.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min readAI
