The United States Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) plans to complete its final environmental review statement for the Alaska LNG project on December 9, 2019.
The commission said in its notice that the schedule for completion of the final EIS is based on an issuance of the draft EIS expected in March 2019.
Once the notice of the final EIS availability is issued, a 90-day Federal authorization decision deadline will commence ending on March 8, 2020.
The project is being proposed by the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC), that is looking to construct, own and operate a new gas treatment plant near Prudhoe Bay and an LNG terminal in Nikiski with a 20 million ton per annum liquefaction capacity.
Commenting on the FERC notice of schedule, Alaska’s governor Bill Walker noted this keeps the project on track to clear a major regulatory hurdle by December 2019.
“This is a major step forward that establishes clarity and predictability in the federal permitting process, which is critical for investors,” Walker said.