US President Donald Trump has announced a “joint venture” for liquefied natural gas (LNG) sales after a meeting with Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Washington DC.
“Japan will soon begin importing historic new shipments of clean American liquefied natural gas in record numbers,” High North News quotes Trump as saying at a press conference.
“We’re talking about the [gas] pipeline in Alaska, which is the closest point of major oil and gas to Japan by far…We’re talking about a joint venture of some type.”
Ishiba confirmed Japan’s interest in procuring additional hydrocarbon resources from the US. The move follows Japan’s withdrawal from Russian Arctic LNG-2 project in Yamal following sanctions that were imposed against it.
Alaska’s proximity to East Asia and Japan could give it a leg up in terms of shipping costs, compared to other suppliers. LNG carriers could cover the 2,500 nautical miles between Alaska and Japan in approximately eight days.
Theodor Lisovoy, Managing Editor, Rough&Polished
