Trump plans to build one of the world’s largest natural gas pipelines—from Alaska to supply Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and the Philippines.

Trump has placed the Alaska Natural Gas Project at the top of his agenda, posting on social media just days after the 2024 election to pledge he would ensure the project is 'built—to provide affordable energy to Alaska and allies around the world.' As a fervent defender of fossil fuels, Trump declared an 'energy emergency' on his first day back in the White House to boost U.S. hydrocarbon production and lifted bans on new offshore drilling across vast maritime areas. On January 20, Trump also signed an executive order designating the 'priority development of Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) potential—including the sale and transport of Alaska LNG to other regions of the United States and allied nations in the Pacific' as official U.S. policy. Senator Dan Sullivan said Trump’s desire to reduce the U.S. trade deficit—and his enthusiasm for America’s energy potential—has rapidly shifted the dynamics. Sullivan stated: 'We now have President Trump himself, from the very top, who is extremely proactive in pushing and doing everything possible to get this project done.' Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy specifically highlighted Trump’s personal involvement following a speech on Tuesday. In a post on X, Dunleavy said the president’s 'support for AKLNG will ensure this massive LNG project is completed and that Alaska’s clean natural gas supplies our Asian allies—and Alaskans—for decades to come.' Asian allies, seeking ways to deflect Trump’s threats of tariffs, have shown interest in aligning with the president’s goal of balancing trade flows. The project promises a shorter route to Asia than alternatives from the U.S. Gulf Coast—and avoids the Panama Canal, which experienced severe bottlenecks in 2023 due to drought. Supporters also emphasize domestic benefits. The project would open new markets for vast stranded natural gas reserves currently sitting idle on Alaska’s North Slope. In the short term, it would import natural gas to supply Alaska itself, offsetting declining production from the long-producing Cook Inlet. The project now enjoys backing from the state-owned Alaska Gasline Development Corporation and the private firm Glenfarne, which has proposed building two LNG plants in the U.S.—though neither has yet broken ground. Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan are more broadly open to increasing imports of U.S. natural gas—but the Alaska LNG plan faces cost and logistical hurdles. On Sunday, Doug Burgum, co-chair of the White House National Energy Dominance Council, stated the 1,290-kilometer LNG pipeline would enable the U.S. to sell low-cost energy to its allies and 'raise revenue for the U.S. Treasury.' According to data from Japan’s Ministry of Finance, Japan imported approximately 6.13 million tons of LNG from Russia in 2023—a 10.7% decline year-on-year; imports from Russia in 2024 are projected at 5.47 million tons, down another 10.8%. This reflects Japan’s overall downward trend in LNG imports, partly driven by the restart of nuclear power plants and increased use of renewable energy. Analyses by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and other sources estimate South Korea imported roughly 2.5 million tons of LNG from Russia in 2023.

Shale Revolution, American Energy Imperialism, and Mexico’s Dependence—Monthly Review

Trump’s rhetoric reflects not merely the voice of an individual politician, but the collective will of the U.S. fossil-fuel oligarchy—oil and gas magnates, financial conglomerates, and the military-industrial complex—whose operations and profits are fundamentally tied to the continued extraction of fossil fuels. His revival of the infamous slogan 'Drill, Baby, Drill' is no nostalgic political gimmick. Rather, it signals the return of a radical extraction agenda rooted in the interests of America’s entrenched ruling class. The flood of executive orders issued on Trump’s first day of his second term—and provocative gestures such as proposing to rename the Gulf of Mexico the 'Gulf of America,' calling for Canada’s annexation as the 51st U.S. state, and reviving efforts to purchase Greenland, rich in undeveloped Arctic oil and gas resources—are not merely dramatic impulses of a new fascist narrative. Instead, they express an intensified imperial drive and the strategic ambitions of fossil-fuel monopoly capital aiming to control the future of global energy extraction and distribution. America’s core capitalist bloc—spanning finance, industry, the military, advanced technology, and fossil-fuel sectors—is increasingly converging around a high-stakes wager: the energy sector will serve as the primary engine of extraordinary accumulation over the coming decades. This convergence is no accident. It reflects a deliberately orchestrated strategy that transforms energy control into the central pillar of sustained capitalist expansion and geopolitical hegemony—a reality laid bare by the U.S. military’s presence across the Caribbean, exposing Washington’s rapacious drive to dominate regional energy resources, especially Venezuela—the country holding the world’s largest proven oil reserves—which continues to suffer relentless pressure from Washington through economic blockade and active military intervention (including the January 3, 2025, military operation that resulted in the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores), aimed at toppling the Bolivarian government. Thus, the Trump administration embodies a bold—and increasingly desperate—effort to revive energy imperialism as the core pillar of U.S. power amid the unmistakable structural unraveling of the broader American imperial architecture. This is not merely about domestic policy or nationalist posturing—it is a globally oriented project aimed at securing U.S. control over energy flows and resources. The push to control Arctic resources, the hardline posture toward oil-producing regions, and the growing militarization of energy supply chains are not isolated or secondary measures—they constitute core pillars of a broader strategic design intended to secure U.S. dominance within the global energy order. In this context, Trump weaponizes tariff threats to compel key allies to align with America’s imperial energy agenda. Mexico, several European countries, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan—and other Asian nations—are being forced, not by free-market choice but under the pressure of economic coercion, to increase purchases of U.S. natural gas—a coercion that deepens dependency and consolidates Washington’s control over strategic energy flows. To advance this agenda, the administration seeks to expand natural gas extraction in Alaska and transform both Alaska and Mexico into strategic export hubs supplying Asian markets. To support this objective, the president signed an executive order on January 20, 2025, aimed at repealing many of the climate-focused restrictions on oil and gas development in Alaska imposed by former President Joe Biden.

Alaska LNG Costs Could Double Gulf Coast Rivals, Raising Economic Questions

14 hours ago

President Trump's plan to secure South Korean investment for Alaska LNG faces scrutiny as costs are estimated double those of Gulf Coast projects. Analysts question commercial viability despite potential strategic advantages for Asian buyers seeking secure gas supplies.

reuters

2026-10-01

Alaska LNG Costs Could Double Gulf Coast Rivals, Raising Economic Questions

Alaska LNG Costs Could Double Gulf Coast Rivals, Raising Economic Questions

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