Gas for Alaskans
Purpose of the ASAP Project
The Alaska Stand Alone Gas Pipeline/ASAP Project is being planned as an in-state gas pipeline designed to provide long-term, stable supplies of natural gas from the North Slope to Fairbanks and Cook Inlet areas, as well as other communities where practicable. In March of 2010, the Alaska Legislature mandated that a group of industry professionals convene under the corporate banner of Alaska Housing Finance Corporation for the specific purpose of developing, refining and producing an in-state natural gas pipeline Project Plan by July 1, 2011. The focus of the pipeline project is to supply gas to Southcentral Alaska by 2019 to offset the projected supply decline.
The design of the Alaska Stand Alone Gas Pipeline/ASAP Project addresses current market demand with the capacity to expand for future growth. The project design accommodates initial capacity of 500 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd) of clean-burning natural gas. The lean gas model for the pipeline is designed with a flow rate of 500 MMscfd.
Relationship to Other Alaska Natural Gas Projects
The Alaska Stand Alone Gas Pipeline/ASAP Project is an independent project and it is not contingent on any of the other projects under consideration and currently moving forward in Alaska. The Alaska Stand Alone Gas Pipeline/ASAP Project was conceived as a smaller-diameter “bullet line” that could be built on a shorter timeline to specifically address the urgent energy needs in Alaska, particularly in the heavily populated areas in Fairbanks and the Cook Inlet region. In the event the large-diameter gas pipeline projects do not move forward, the Project Plan for the Alaska Stand Alone Gas Pipeline Project positions the State of Alaska for timely response to the energy issues presently facing the interior and southcentral areas of Alaska. Relative to larger projects the ASAP Project is designed to advance quickly to construction on a shorter timeline.
Another project looking at delivering North Slope natural gas via a large-diameter pipeline is the Alaska Pipeline Project sponsored by the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA). This project has a longer development timeline and the focus of the APP Project is transporting the gas outside of Alaska, resulting in an extended schedule for delivering natural gas for in-state customers.