First LNG ship since 2012 arrives at ConocoPhillips plant near Kenai

  • By Tim Bradner
  • Friday, May 2, 2014 5:38pm
  • News

The first liquefied natural gas tanker arrived Friday morning at the ConocoPhillips LNG plant at Nikiski, near Kenai, following the company’s reactivation of the plant this spring.

The plant has been in a suspended status since late 2012.

The Excel is owned and operated by the Belgium-based Exmar shipping group. ConocoPhillips spokeswoman Amy Burnett could not say how long it will take to load the vessel or the destination of the cargo, although presumably it is in Asia.

ConocoPhillips plans six LNG shipments this year at approximately one-month intervals, Burnett said. The company has authorization from the U.S. Department of Energy to export LNG from the Kenai plant for two years.

The plant was built in 1969 by Phillips Petroleum and Marathon Oil. Phillips later merged with Conoco and subsequently purchased Marathon’s 30 percent share. LNG shipments to Japan were made from 1969 to 2010 under long-term contracts with Tokyo Gas and Tokyo Electric, when the contracts expired. Shipments since then have been on a per-vessel basis.

Plant operations and LNG exports were suspended in late 2012 as natural gas reserves in Cook Inlet were depleted. The measure was taken to reserve gas for regional utilities, which are also supplied by ConocoPhipps. Utilities’ needs are now met through recent new gas discoveries by Hilcorp and other companies, which has allowed for a resumption of exports.

Tim Bradner can be reached at tim.bradner@alaskajournal.com.

More in News

Rep. Justin Ruffridge, a Soldotna Republican who co-chairs the House Education Committee, speaks in favor overriding a veto of Senate Bill 140 during floor debate of a joint session of the Alaska State Legislature on Monday. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire)
By 1 vote, lawmakers sustain Dunleavy veto of education bill

The bipartisan bill included $680 increase to per-student funding

The Sterling Highway crosses the Kenai River near the Russian River Campground on March 15, 2020, near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Russian River Campground closed for construction

The campground is expected to reopen on June 2

A man fishes in the Kenai River on July 16, 2018, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Peninsula Clarion/file)
Fish and Game announces series of closures and restrictions for king salmon fisheries

Cook Inlet king salmon stocks are experiencing a prolonged period of poor productivity, the department said

Montessori materials sit on shelves in a classroom at Soldotna Montessori Charter School on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Education debate draws state attention to peninsula charter schools

Dunleavy would like to see a shift of authority over charter school approvals from local school districts to the state

The Nikiski Senior Center stands under sunlight in Nikiski, Alaska, on Thursday, March 14, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Support available for community caregivers

Nikiski Senior Center hosts relaunched Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program

Flags flank the entrance to Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office on Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Dunleavy vetoes bipartisan education bill

Senate Bill 140 passed the House by a vote of 38-2 and the Senate by a vote of 18-1 last month

The Alaska State Capitol on Friday, March 1, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
House passes bill altering wording of sex crimes against children

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer

Ben Meyer and Brandon Drzazgowski present to the Soldotna and Kenai Chambers of Commerce at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Watershed Forum gives update on streambank restoration

The watershed forum and other organizations are working to repair habitat and mitigate erosion

The entrance to the Kenai Police Department, as seen in Kenai, Alaska, on April 1, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai resident arrested on charges of arson

Kenai Police and Kenai Fire Department responded to a structure fire near Mountain View Elementary

Most Read