WASHINGTON — A deal that would put Taiwanese money behind an Alaska gas pipeline exists, so far, in the words of the president and his commerce secretary at a campaign rally, and not in any statement from Taipei.
President Donald Trump told the rally in Wasilla, Alaska, on Tuesday that “Taiwan has just agreed to buy 30% of the gas coming off the pipeline for the next 20 years,” adding that it “guarantees a success.” He called it “one of the biggest commitments in history for anything,” Anadolu Agency reported.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who also spoke at the rally, said Taiwan had committed to invest $4.4 billion in developing the pipeline. Neither report gives a price, a volume or a delivery date, and neither carries a statement from Taiwan’s government or from CPC Corp, the state-owned company that would be the buyer.
TRT World reported that what exists beyond the rally is older: CPC reportedly reached an agreement last year with the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation to buy liquefied natural gas from the project and invest in it. The outlet attributed that to media reports, and the sources do not say whether that agreement is binding.
The project would carry natural gas by pipeline from Alaska’s remote north to the south of the state, where it would be shipped as LNG to buyers, Anadolu reported. The article gives no total cost, capacity or timeline.
That leaves the president’s account carrying the weight. A 30% share of the output over two decades could be a binding purchase contract or a target; neither report says which, and neither says whether Taipei has agreed to the number Trump gave.
