Follow-Up: Taiwan's Economy Ministry Confirms CPC-Alaska LNG Framework - 6 Million Tonnes a Year, Up to $4.4 Billion in Investment
Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs said on October 14 that CPC Corporation's cooperation with the developers of the Alaska LNG project has reached a major breakthrough: under the current planning direction, the framework includes purchases of 6 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas per year once the project is in production, together with participation in the project's development, with total investment estimated at up to US$4.4 billion (about NT$140 billion). The ministry added that specific investment arrangements, equity stakes and commercial terms remain subject to substantive negotiations and commercial contracting procedures between the two sides.
The ministry said CPC signed a letter of intent with the Alaska Gasline Development Corp in Taipei in March 2025 to buy LNG from and invest in the project, and that after nearly a year and a half of negotiations and evaluation, CPC and the U.S. developers had reached the framework. The ministry said the move is intended to keep Taiwan's gas supply stable and diversify its sources; if annual purchases reach 6 million tonnes, the U.S. share of Taiwan's natural gas imports would rise from about one-tenth today to about 35 percent. If project milestones proceed as planned, the ministry said, Alaskan gas could begin supplying Taiwan as early as 2032.
A day earlier, on October 13, President Donald Trump told a rally in Wasilla, Alaska, that Taiwan had agreed to buy 30 percent of the Alaska LNG project's output over 20 years and to invest $4.4 billion; Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, speaking at the same rally, also said Taiwan had committed $4.4 billion to developing the pipeline. Asked about Trump's remarks on October 14, Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai said the government's responsibility was to stabilize the overall energy supply and build its resilience, according to Reuters.
The Alaska LNG project is designed to export up to about 20 million tonnes a year, so CPC's planned 6 million tonnes a year amounts to roughly 30 percent of design capacity, broadly matching the figure cited by Trump. GSM's earlier report, published before Taipei's formal response, noted that the terms of the claimed agreement were unclear and that Taiwan had not publicly responded; the ministry's October 14 statement is Taipei's first formal comment on the matter. The statement did not say that a binding final contract has been signed, and stressed that follow-up matters remain subject to negotiation and contracting procedures. (Compiled from Reuters reporting and the Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs statement)
Source: 路透社、台湾经济部
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：液化天然气运输船夜间靠泊港口（资料图）。摄影：Kees Torn，CC BY-SA 2.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
