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ANGDA puts early EIS project to bid
As various pipeline efforts gear up around the state, the first step is often reviewing the work of previous pipeline efforts. To that end, the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority is trying to find out what information exists and what still needs to be learned as it proceeds on a spur line connecting Southcentral Alaska to the Interior.
The public corporation recently issued a request for proposals to gather baseline data in preparation for a future Environmental Impact Statement. The $250,000 contract runs from Oct. 2 through Dec. 15, and covers a range of aspects related to the spur line.
As proposed by ANGDA, the spur line would run from Beluga to Fairbanks through Glennallen and Delta Junction, and possibly connect to a future mainline running from gas fields in the North Slope to markets in the Lower 48 and Canada.
Info for future EIS The information gathered will go toward a future contract to prepare the EIS for the spur line project. ANGDA has long advocated for pre-building the spur line to bring gas to local markets quickly and to avoid the drain of resources and supplies associated with the main line, expected to be among the largest construction projects in history.
“This is to get started right away,” said Harold Heinze, CEO of ANGDA.
ANGDA is not the only company looking to fill information gaps in the state. BP and ConocoPhillips have crews working in Tok and on the North Slope to fill similar information gaps for the proposed Denali pipeline.
A state-backed effort from TransCanada has yet to begin fieldwork.
ANGDA hasn’t found any overlap between its project and the two proposed mainlines, but remains in contact with both companies, according to Heinze. As a public corporation, all ANGDA reports remain in the public record.
Enstar Natural Gas Co. is also working toward building an in-state gas pipeline. Earlier in the year, the state government brokered a partnership between Enstar and ANGDA, but the two companies have yet to meet since that partnership was announced, Heinze said.
—Eric Lidji
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