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Progress

Progress Report

For many years, Alaskans have sought a pipeline that would make it possible to develop Alaska’s vast natural gas resources. Much work remains, but those goals are closer than ever before.

2009 Progress Check

  • Major North Slope producer ExxonMobil joined the TransCanada Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA) project in June 2009.
  • TransCanada and ExxonMobil established a joint Alaska Pipeline Project team that has capitalized on the strengths of both companies.
  • The Alaska Pipeline Project team has progressively advanced all aspects of the project’s development with initial planning studies for design, costs and schedule.
  • In-state gas study assessing the gas needs of Alaska homes and businesses has been completed.
  • TransCanada obtained full and final releases from former partners related to TransCanada’s prior work on the US portion of the Project (“Withdrawn Partners”).
  • Has initiated the first open season process in the history of efforts to develop North Slope natural gas in 2010.

A Key Moment: The First Open Season

The project work completed in 2009, coupled with the years of planning, field studies and community outreach that came before it, has prepared the Alaska Pipeline Project to conduct the first open season in the history of Alaska’s North Slope.

Planning and Engineering Studies: Reliable Estimates

The project is on track to complete the technical, engineering, and cost and schedule work necessary to conduct an open season in 2010. Reliable estimates are essential to an open season so that shippers can fully assess the risks involved before deciding whether or not to make billions of dollars in commitments to the pipeline system.

In-State Gas Study: Providing for Local Gas Needs

Months of work on an independently developed in-state gas demand study has been completed. The study has been included in the filing of our open season plan with the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The study fulfills a requirement of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act (ANGPA), passed by the U.S. Congress in 2004. The study will also be used to help define the minimum of five connections to the main pipeline, called off-takes, that would provide local natural gas suppliers the opportunity to obtain natural gas to meet community needs. Read more...

Canadian NPA Certificate and Right of Way

TransCanada holds a certificate to build the Canadian portion of the project under the Northern Pipeline Act, similar to the certificate it is seeking from the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the U.S. portion of the project.  That means the project has secured the essential government permit for 60 percent of the total length of the pipeline route. TransCanada also has land rights covering a substantial portion of the Canada portion of the pipeline.  In addition, the project has opened discussions with stakeholders along the project corridor, including Alaska Native and Canadian First Nations and aboriginal communities.  A number of natural gas off-take connections would be available in Canada along the pipeline route.   

Withdrawn Partners

In 2009, AGIA licensee TransCanada cleared all remaining questions concerning any potential liability to the “Withdrawn Partners” related to prior work by TransCanada on the US portion of the pipeline.