The Alaska LNG Project is recommending the 800 mile pipeline be built as originally planned with a 42 inch diameter pipe.
Project Advisor Jeff Raun says an engineering team took five months to investigate the pros and cons of a 42 inch versus 48 inch pipeline as Governor Bill Walker had asked for.
Raun: “Looking at it from various angles, the recommendation for 42 has been put forward to the owners and the member companies in the project.”
Raun says the recommendation decision was a combination of engineering and economic sense however the final decision lies with the project owners.
Governor Walker pushed for the larger pipe study which was estimated to cost around $20 million for the evaluation alone.
His reasoning was that added capacity in the pipeline would encourage more natural gas exploration on the North Slope and give companies searching for gas along the pipeline corridor a better opportunity to get their gas to market.
The Alaska LNG Project has not released the final costs of that five months of work.