Oil & Gas
RSSNorth Slope oil & gas operations: Willow, Pikka, Point Thomson, production economics, tax debates, pipeline politics (TAPS)
Wright and Dunleavy insist the Alaska LNG project is alive
At an Anchorage conference, the U.S. energy secretary and Gov. Dunleavy insisted the stalled Alaska LNG project is alive, pointing at different obstacles.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
Sullivan and Peltola clash in a combative first forum, previewing a bitter Senate race
Sullivan and Peltola clashed sharply in their first post-primary forum, trading shots over Willow, their records and who's really on Alaska's side.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago4 min read
The pipeline's owners want another 30 years, seven years before they have to ask
The trans-Alaska pipeline's owners want another 30 years on federal land, seven years before they need to ask. Scoping comment closes Sept. 10.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Enstar tells legislators it's 18 days short of gas for winter
Enstar told legislators it's 18 days, about 3 Bcf, short of gas for a normal winter after two supplies fell through, with deals underway still leaving a gap.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
Hilcorp wants to dig a 95-acre gravel pit near the Putuligayuk River
Hilcorp wants to dig a 95-acre gravel pit near the Putuligayuk River on the North Slope. Two-thirds of it would be permanent. Comment closes Sept. 4.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
Alaska's development authority again takes ANWR and Ambler to closed session
Alaska's development authority will again discuss two divisive projects — ANWR oil drilling and the Ambler mining road — in closed session this week.
by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago2 min read
Three Cook Inlet gas storage plans pending for winter demand
Cook Inlet's gas problem isn't only supply, it's winter. Alaska is weighing three plans to bank gas underground and draw it down in the cold months.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Alaska tells BlueCrest to produce Cook Inlet gas by 2027 or give up the lease
Alaska ordered BlueCrest Energy to begin producing gas from its Cook Inlet lease by March 2027 or forfeit it, as the region's gas supply shrinks and the company has sat idle for years.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Record cold pushed Anchorage's gas demand to an all-time high, just as the supply is running out
Record cold drove Anchorage-area gas demand to a record as Cook Inlet supply shrinks, and the utility projects a 3 billion cubic foot shortfall next winter.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
The town of Whittier has had no gas for weeks, and it's only manageable because it's summer
The whole town of Whittier has had no natural gas since Aug. 16 and won't get it back until Sept. 5, and it's manageable mainly because it's still warm out.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
ENSTAR seeks a Southcentral gas rate hike as two landlords move to dismiss the case
ENSTAR wants to raise Southcentral gas bills by about $9 a month, and two landlords are moving to get the rate case thrown out before its September hearing.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Alaska takes a first step toward new air permits for Hilcorp's Nikaitchuq oil field
Alaska took a first step toward new air permits for Hilcorp's Nikaitchuq oil field, as North Slope officials push for air monitoring in nearby villages.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Dunleavy says he is ending gas line special session, blames legislative leaders
Gov. Dunleavy signaled an end to his gas line special session, blaming legislative leaders, as Southcentral faces a projected winter gas shortfall.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
Dunleavy's LNG bill would swap a graduated S corp tax topping 9.4% for a flat 2%
Dunleavy cut the disputed oil-and-gas tax to a flat 2% in a revised LNG bill, trying to revive a stalled pipeline deal. The Legislature takes it up Aug. 20.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago4 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
ENSTAR says Cook Inlet output has fallen to a fifth of its 1990s peak, with its firm contract ending in 2033
Cook Inlet is apparently in trouble, well, unless you think rolling backouts are a good deal. And I'm sure somebody in the world does, somewhere
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago3 min read
Micciche sets break-even floor on Kenai Peninsula tax break for Alaska LNG
Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche set a floor on Alaska LNG tax breaks at 75% off, saying the borough will not accept less than break-even on a $23.6 billion to $28.4 billion facility.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago3 min read
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 1mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Oil-company seismic data is going public — the price of a state tax credit
Oil-company seismic surveys from Cook Inlet and the North Slope are going public — the eventual price of the state tax credits that funded them — as companies hunt for new gas in a declining basin.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
EPA suspends Arctic clean-diesel rules amid Middle East supply crunch
A Middle East fuel crunch reached the North Slope, and EPA suspended clean-diesel rules there through Aug. 2 — putting more soot over Iñupiat communities and Arctic snow.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Oil is beating the forecast, and it still won't cover a dividend
Oil is running $11 a barrel above what the state budgeted. Sounds like a windfall — it wouldn't cover a single $1,000 dividend.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Hilcorp seeks 50 megawatts of new power at Milne Point
Hilcorp wants about 50 megawatts of new turbine power at Milne Point — three big turbines and 185,000 gallons of fuel. Comments close 30 days from July 18.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
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 AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska LNG tax bill advances to floor on split conference committee votes
Alaska's Legislature advanced a revised LNG tax bill that replaces municipal property taxes with a state volumetric tax, redirecting an estimated $500 million in annual local revenue by 2033.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
