Energy

Alaska LNG Project water testing to occur in August

The Alaska LNG Project is moving forward with an aquifer pump test on its land in Nikiski this summer. The project, a collaborative effort between… Continue reading

Hildebrand steps down as Hilcorp CEO

Hilcorp’s founder and CEO Jeff Hildebrand has stepped down from his leadership role. Hildebrand, who founded the Houston, Texas-based oil and gas production company in… Continue reading

AGDC sketches China deal, seeks timeline from regulators

By 2019, the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) is hoping three Chinese state-owned entities will become partners in its plans to export North Slope natural… Continue reading

This November 21, 2015 shows the sign designating the unofficial border of Nikiski, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Borough establishes advisory board for Nikiski residents on LNG project

Nikiski residents now have a direct line to the Kenai Peninsula Borough government and the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation to voice their concerns about the… Continue reading

This November 21, 2015 shows the sign designating the unofficial border of Nikiski, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Andeavor lets Nikiski LNG export license lapse

In the near future Andeavor won’t be exporting natural gas from the liquefaction plant and terminal in Nikiski it acquired on Feb. 1 from ConocoPhillips.… Continue reading

In this Dec. 19, 2017 photo, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, speaks about oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge during debates about the GOP tax cut on the floor of the U.S. Senate. (C-SPAN)

State asks Legislature for $10 million to survey ANWR for oil

The administration of Gov. Bill Walker is asking the Alaska Legislature for permission to spend $10 million on seismic surveying in the coastal plain of… Continue reading

In this Dec. 19, 2017 photo, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, speaks about oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge during debates about the GOP tax cut on the floor of the U.S. Senate. (C-SPAN)
This Feb. 2, 2008 file photo shows the ConocoPhillips LNG facility in Nikiski. (Clarion file photo)

Andeavor buys Kenai LNG Facility

Andeavor has acquired the Kenai Liquefied Natural Gas facility, located in Nikiski, from ConocoPhillips. The company announced Thursday the LNG facility will be a natural… Continue reading

This Feb. 2, 2008 file photo shows the ConocoPhillips LNG facility in Nikiski. (Clarion file photo)

AGDC to choose Kenai Spur Highway route by June

The Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) plans to choose by June between two possible ways to move the Kenai Spur Highway around the natural gas… Continue reading

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska (right) speaks at a luncheon of the joint Kenai and Soldotna chambers of commerce on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. Murkowski said there were reasons to be optimistic about Alaska’s economic future, though there’s still work to be done in Washington, D.C., such as a budget solution before the current continuing resolution expires on Feb. 8. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Murkowski sees reason for optimism, though work remains to be done

The economy still isn’t great in Alaska, but there are reasons to be positive, according to Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). The pendulum of oil and… Continue reading

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska (right) speaks at a luncheon of the joint Kenai and Soldotna chambers of commerce on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. Murkowski said there were reasons to be optimistic about Alaska’s economic future, though there’s still work to be done in Washington, D.C., such as a budget solution before the current continuing resolution expires on Feb. 8. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Fertilizer plant restart still dependent upon gas supply

Editor's note: This story has been changed to correct a measurement unit of natural gas — a thousand cubic feet misreported as a million cubic… Continue reading

DNR grants one of three Chuitna Citizens Coalition water reservations

Editor's note: This story has been changed to add additional information and to correct the year of CCC's lawsuit against DNR. The Alaska Department of… Continue reading

Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion The liquid natural gas tanker Excel sits at the ConocoPhillips LNG facility Friday May 2, 2014 in Kenai, Alaska. It is the one of six planned LNG cargoes to be exported from Kenai to Japan and the first since plant operations were suspended in late 2012.

Inlet rebound comes at cost to state during price plunge

The turnaround in Cook Inlet oil and gas production in recent years is one of the big success stories for Alaska. It has come at… Continue reading

Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion The liquid natural gas tanker Excel sits at the ConocoPhillips LNG facility Friday May 2, 2014 in Kenai, Alaska. It is the one of six planned LNG cargoes to be exported from Kenai to Japan and the first since plant operations were suspended in late 2012.
Alex Douthit, pictured in his office on Monday, Jan. 15, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska, founded Kenai Peninsula Driving Instruction in November 2016 with his wife Sarah Douthit. It took them more than a year to obtain all the permits and approvals they needed to officially begin commercial driver’s license instruction, which they are now focusing on. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

After permitting struggle, couple opens CDL training program on peninsula

When Alex Douthit started the ball rolling for a commercial driving instruction school in Kenai, he had no idea what he was getting into. The… Continue reading

Alex Douthit, pictured in his office on Monday, Jan. 15, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska, founded Kenai Peninsula Driving Instruction in November 2016 with his wife Sarah Douthit. It took them more than a year to obtain all the permits and approvals they needed to officially begin commercial driver’s license instruction, which they are now focusing on. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Hilcorp plans $285 million Alaska investment in 2018

Hilcorp is planning to spend about $285 million in Alaska during 2018, the oil and gas company’s Operations Manager Chad Helgeson told audiences at the… Continue reading

Grant allows district to reinstate petroleum career program

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District has received a $20,000 grant that will help in the school district’s goal to extend their broaden their approach… Continue reading

Alyssa Rodrigues, the development manager within the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development’s Division of Economic Development, speaks to the attendees at the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District’s Industry Outlook Forum on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Peninsula job losses continue into retail, tourism sectors

The Kenai Peninsula lost jobs and saw reduced wages in 2016 and the first two quarters of 2017, a continuation of the ongoing statewide recession.… Continue reading

Alyssa Rodrigues, the development manager within the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development’s Division of Economic Development, speaks to the attendees at the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District’s Industry Outlook Forum on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
This map shows in red the two possible reroutes of the Kenai Spur Highway that the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation is considering around its planned natural gas liquefaction and export terminal in Nikiski. (Courtesy of Alaska Gasline Development Corporation, modified by Peninsula Clarion to show LNG facility area)

AGDC narrows Spur Highway relocation to two routes

  Editor's note: This story has been updated to mention AGDC's Feb. 19 meeting with the Nikiski Community Council. The Alaska Gasline Development Corporation has… Continue reading

This map shows in red the two possible reroutes of the Kenai Spur Highway that the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation is considering around its planned natural gas liquefaction and export terminal in Nikiski. (Courtesy of Alaska Gasline Development Corporation, modified by Peninsula Clarion to show LNG facility area)
In April 2017 Hilcorp’s Bruce Platform, pictured here, was shut in along with its neighboring platform Anna after the later released a sheen from its flaring system that turned out to be roughly three gallons of natural gas condensate. The incident was one of the 2017 hydrocarbon leaks from Cook Inlet’s aging platforms and pipelines that prompted the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council to begin an overview of Cook Inlet oil and gas infrastructure, leading to recommendations for preventing future leaks. (Photo courtesy of Ground Truth Trekking.)

CIRCAC studying pipeline leaks

After 2017 began with a natural gas leak in Cook Inlet, local spill prevention experts are preparing a comprehensive look at Cook Inlet’s aging oil… Continue reading

In April 2017 Hilcorp’s Bruce Platform, pictured here, was shut in along with its neighboring platform Anna after the later released a sheen from its flaring system that turned out to be roughly three gallons of natural gas condensate. The incident was one of the 2017 hydrocarbon leaks from Cook Inlet’s aging platforms and pipelines that prompted the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council to begin an overview of Cook Inlet oil and gas infrastructure, leading to recommendations for preventing future leaks. (Photo courtesy of Ground Truth Trekking.)
Alaska Gasline Development Corporation President Keith Meyer addresses the attendees at a joint luncheon of the Kenai and Soldotna chambers of commerce Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. Meyer explained some of the details of the recently signed Joint Development Agreement between the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation and several Chinese investors to develop the Alaska LNG Project, an 800-mile pipeline and liquefaction facility terminating in Nikiski designed to monetize the natural gas reserves on the North Slope. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Despite uncertainties, state moves forward with LNG

When Alaska Governor Bill Walker spoke Tuesday to members of the Soldotna and Kenai Chambers of Commerce, he wore an Alaska-shaped lapel pin marked with… Continue reading

Alaska Gasline Development Corporation President Keith Meyer addresses the attendees at a joint luncheon of the Kenai and Soldotna chambers of commerce Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. Meyer explained some of the details of the recently signed Joint Development Agreement between the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation and several Chinese investors to develop the Alaska LNG Project, an 800-mile pipeline and liquefaction facility terminating in Nikiski designed to monetize the natural gas reserves on the North Slope. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

AGDC shares new plans for LNG pipeline

Editor's note: This story has been changed to clarify that realtor Katie Uei has based her sales price estimates on conversation with Nikiski residents and… Continue reading