Exxon: working hard

ExxonMobil is not involved in either the Denali or the TransCanada gas pipeline projects, but the company is “very familiar with working with all the parties that are involved in trying to commercialize the gas resources that we have,” Peter Coleman told the Resource Development Council annual conference Nov. 19. Coleman, vice president Americas of ExxonMobil Production, said his company believes that all available resources — including Point Thomson — are needed for the pipeline; that alignment is needed between the state and all the owners; that world-class project management and execution is needed; and that predictability in outcome is needed, fiscal stability.

“Where are we today on Denali versus AGIA? We’re still assessing both projects to determine how can we reduce the risks in moving forward together.”

But whether it’s Denali or TransCanada, “It’s in the best interests of everybody that we come together as soon as we can,” he said. There are a number of reasons for that, but “the first one is the more stakes you put into a particular game the more you start to own it and the less you’re willing to move away from that.”

As time goes by, he said, it will be more and more difficult to get stakeholders to change their positions “because they’ll have more invested in that particular game.”

ExxonMobil welcomes competition, Coleman said, “but we also recognize that there’s a point where you’ve got to bring things together — and today I can’t tell you where that point is but I would tell you I believe it’s sooner rather than later.”

And what is ExxonMobil doing right now? Coleman said the company is not sitting on the fence and watching, waiting for someone else to do the work: “We’ve got our best and brightest working this each and every day and we are very active.”

“We’re ready; we’re ready to contribute; we just don’t think we’re ready today to move one way or the other way.”

—Kristen Nelson