The Alaska LNG Project is continuing to investigate the best possible route for the 800 mile pipeline, maneuvering manmade and natural corridors.
Preliminary plans show the AK LNG crossing the trans-Alaska oil pipeline 12 times, the Dalton Highway 22 times, and would include 446 waterbody crossings according to the most recent draft route.
As for the Kenai Peninsula area, AK LNG would cross almost 30 miles of Cook Inlet and have about 6-7 miles of pipe onshore.
Persily: “The preferred option at the moment is to come out of Cook Inlet at Boulder Point but they’re looking at an alternate site a couple miles up. On the West side their preferred point to enter the water is just south of Beluga but they’re looking at another spot about a mile down from that that might be a better site to get into the water, to bring barges in.”
Special Oil and Gas Assistant Larry Persily said until the onshore liquefaction facility location is set the project cannot determine where the Kenai Spur Highway might be rerouted to or where the pipeline will cross the highway.
Persily: “Probably north of the Tesoro refinery but they don’t have a precise point. It’s got to cross one time because it’s coming in from the water and the area they’re looking for the plant is on the other side of the highway so it’s going to have to cross once.”
Persily said ideally the Kenai Spur Highway will be rerouted before construction on the LNG liquefaction plant begins although details on the preferred route are still being developed.
Once variations of the route are developed, those plans will go up for public comment and property owners in the area would be contacted.