One of Alaska's big three oil producers, ConocoPhillips, has said it will not seek to ship liquefied natural gas overseas from its Southcentral Alaska facility after March 31, when its current export license is due to expire.
The company owns Alaska's only LNG export plant, located on the Kenai Peninsula in Nikiski, on the shores of Cook Inlet, where new oil and gas explorers are searching for developable fields. If enough surplus gas becomes available -- gas in excess of local demand -- the company has said it will be able to resume operations and apply for a new export license.
According to Bloomberg News, "The terminal is the only U.S. plant in operation that's authorized to sell domestically produced fuel to countries with which the nation has no free trade agreement."
The nation's second LNG plant is currently under construction in Sabine Pass, Lousiana. The plant, owned by Cheniere Energy, Inc., is scheduled to begin exports in 2016.