US seeks deals for Alaska energy as Asia representatives visit

US seeks deals for Alaska energy as Asia representatives visit
by AFP Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) June 4, 2025

US officials are seeking deals with potential buyers of Alaskan natural gas, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Tuesday, as foreign representatives joined American leaders this week in talks focused on the state's energy resources.

His remarks at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference come as US President Donald Trump has touted a $44 billion Alaska LNG project -- a plan that has faced challenges over the years due to its price and scale.

Trump said earlier this year that Japan and South Korea were looking to work with the United States on a major natural gas pipeline in Alaska.

The long-stalled plan involves building a 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) pipeline across the sprawling state to produce liquefied natural gas to be shipped to Asia on tankers.

For now, representatives from Asian economies including South Korea are on a multi-day trip in Alaska.

"Our goal with this trip was to have Asian countries that are large consumers of American energy exports to come see the infrastructure," as well as meet business leaders and assess the environment, Wright told reporters Tuesday.

"The main thing we're looking to get is people that want to buy Alaskan natural gas, and I think we've seen tremendous interest in that," he added.

"What the project really needs is long term off-take agreements," he said.

Several delegates from South Korea have headed to Alaska and are scheduled to return Thursday, with representatives involving the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, as well as Korea Gas Corporation.

Taiwan was among others with plans to send a delegation to the energy conference.

US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum noted the project was also a test case for whether the United States could build the infrastructure it needed to "achieve the energy dominance, the energy abundance, that we need to win the AI arms race."

While the Trump administration pushes to step up energy development in the state, their efforts have attracted criticism from environmentalists.

Trump doubled down on fossil fuels on his first day in office, declaring a "national energy emergency" to expand drilling in the United States.

In recent days, the Trump administration unveiled plans to repeal restrictions on industrial development in parts of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.