Anchorage (Platts)--26Dec2007

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will not release proposals the state has
received to build a North Slope gas pipeline until after January 1.
The state received five proposals November 30 in response to a state
solicitation for a license to develop the project. Palin said in a press
release late last week that the applications were still being reviewed by
state agencies as to whether they meet the requirements of the solicitation. A
pipeline developer receiving a license will qualify for several state
incentives including a $500 million state grant. The state also received a
separate proposal for a pipeline November 30 from ConocoPhillips that was
outside the solicitation process.
Palin said in the press release that the state had asked for additional
information from the applicants and that the information had been received.
Following the agencies' review, the applications will be released for
public examination, the governor said. That begins a 60-day public comment
period, after which Alaska officials will select one project that best meets
the state's needs.
Palin said the state will also review ConocoPhillips' proposal, but that
priority is being given to applications made under the solicitation.
Proposals were submitted by TransCanada Corp., Sinopec ZPEB, the Alaska
Gasline Port Authority, Aenergia LLC, and the Alaska Natural Gas Development
Authority, a state agency.
No details of the proposals have been made available, but TransCanada has
said its proposal is for a 48-inch pipeline built through Interior Alaska and
Canada's Yukon Territory to Alberta. The Alaska Gasline Port Authority and
Sinopec are believed to be proposing LNG projects, which has prompted
criticism from Alaska's congressional delegation over possible exports of
North Slope gas as LNG.