Slope

Plenty of political wrangling remains before an agreement is struck to commercialize Alaska’s North Slope gas reserves with transport to the Lower 48 (see Daily GPI, Sept. 8). However, getting Alaska gas to Canada and then the United States is something TransCanada Corp. has been thinking about for a long time. And the company has some definite ideas about what it would like its role to be in the effort.

Plenty of political wrangling remains before an agreement is struck to commercialize Alaska’s North Slope gas reserves with transport to the Lower 48 (see NGI, Sept. 11). However, getting Alaska gas to Canada and then the United States is something TransCanada Corp. has been thinking about for a long time. And the company has some definite ideas about what it would like its role to be in the effort.

Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski on Friday accused state lawmakers of “deliberately” trying to slow down plans to contract with North Slope producers BP plc, ExxonMobil Corp. and ConocoPhillips to build a natural gas pipeline, saying that unless there’s a turnaround in the next few days, the state may lose its chance to build a gasline. Murkowski also discounted reports that BP CEO John Browne wants to slow down negotiations. The governor said he had been “assured” of the producer’s commitment.

Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski on Friday accused state lawmakers of “deliberately” trying to slow down plans to contract with North Slope producers BP plc, ExxonMobil Corp. and ConocoPhillips to build a natural gas pipeline and said unless there’s a turnaround in the next few days, the state may lose its chance to build a gasline. Murkowski also discounted reports that BP CEO John Browne wants to slow down negotiations. The governor said he had been “assured” of the producer’s commitment.

Alaska could collect between $1 billion and $2.7 billion per year from a pipeline project to move North Slope gas to Alberta and ultimately the Lower 48, according to terms of a draft contract between Alaska and a trio of major producers, the state said.

Alaska could collect between $1 billion and $2.7 billion per year from a pipeline project to move North Slope gas to the Lower 48, according to terms of a draft contract between Alaska and a trio of major producers, the state said.

A pipeline to move gas from the North Slope to Lower 48 markets is “key to Alaska’s future” and “an issue all Alaskans want resolved,” Gov. Frank Murkowski told a joint session of the state’s legislature Wednesday.

Alaska on Tuesday announced an agreement with the three major North Slope producers — BP plc, ConocoPhillps and ExxonMobil Corp. — to build a new natural gas pipeline to transport as much as 4.5 Bcf/d of new supplies to the Lower 48. The agreement, tied to a proposed new oil and gas tax system, still has to be approved by the state legislature, which could balk at attempts by Gov. Frank Murkowski to give the producers too many incentives.

The downhill slope on which virtually all points were launched Wednesday got even steeper across the board Thursday, and promises to be even more slippery Friday following a dollar-plus swan dive by January natural gas futures. Heating load is diminishing dramatically as the harsh cold in which many markets began the week continues to become past tense.