A legislative consultant is raising red flags about Alaska taking the lead on a major proposed liquefied natural gas project, even as Gov. Bill Walker has said he’s comfortable with it.
Legislators are scheduled to hear a project update Monday.
In a recent report to lawmakers, consultant Nikos Tsafos outlined challenges threatening the project’s potential for success.
He says they include a competitive market and a laundry list of tasks the state will need to achieve, such as finding buyers, insulating itself from cost overruns and buying gas at commercially reasonable prices from its former project partners, the North Slope’s major energy companies.
Walker says the project will be pursued only if it has long-term customers and not “at all costs.”