Tokyo Gas Utility Still Interested in Alaska LNG
Photo Credit: Alexyz3d | Adobe Stock
Alaska’s first liquified natural gas (LNG) export customer is coming back for more. Tokyo Gas Company, Japan’s largest city gas supplier with around 13 million customers, signed a letter of intent with Glenfarne Group, the private-sector developer of the proposed Alaska LNG pipeline from the North Slope.
Alaska LNG Pioneer
Tokyo Gas was the customer of the first LNG exported from the United States when shipments began from Cook Inlet in 1969. Exports from the terminal in Nikiski halted in 2017 when the gas supply was prioritized for local use.
“Tokyo Gas pioneered the LNG industry with their agreement to purchase LNG from Alaska fifty-five years ago and is one of the most respected voices in the industry. We welcome their participation in Alaska LNG,” says Glenfarne founder and CEO Brendan Duval.
The letter of intent signals the utility’s interest in one million tonnes per year. Since becoming lead developer of Alaska LNG in March 2025, Glenfarne has signed four other preliminary offtake agreements with buyers in Japan (JERA), South Korea (POSCO), Taiwan (CPC), and Thailand (PTT), totaling 11 million tonnes. Glenfarne expects to need agreements for 16 million tonnes before reaching a financial close for the project.
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October 2025
Alaska LNG is planned as a 42-inch diameter pipeline from the North Slope to Nikiski. About 20 million tonnes per year would be for export. Glenfarne Communications Director Tim Fitzpatrick notes that about 15 percent of the pipeline’s capacity is reserved for in-state use.
Glenfarne is developing Alaska LNG in two financially independent phases to accelerate project execution. Phase One includes the domestic pipeline to deliver natural gas approximately 765 miles from the North Slope to Southcentral, satisfying local energy needs. Phase Two will add the LNG terminal and related infrastructure to enable export capability. The State of Alaska, through the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation, owns 25 percent of the Alaska LNG project.
While Glenfarne is signing up more offtake partners, Worley is completing the final engineering and cost validation for the pipeline, currently the only federally authorized export terminal on the US Pacific Coast.
The letter of intent from Tokyo Gas was announced shortly before President Donald Trump’s state visit to Japan.
Duval says, “This agreement validates the strength of Alaska LNG’s commercial offering and the importance of Alaska LNG as a strategically positioned supplier of affordable, clean LNG for US Pacific allies.”
This week, the head of the International Energy Agency predicted a forthcoming increase in liquefied natural gas supply could change global markets. Reuters reports the shift is creating a favorable market for buyers, such as importers in Asia, to dictate lower prices.
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