US invites Asian officials to Alaska, eyes $44 billion LNG project

23/5/2025 15:44

The U.S. has invited officials from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan to Alaska to discuss projects including a vast gas pipeline, two people familiar with the planning said, as Asian governments consider U.S. investments in the hopes of relief from President Donald Trump's tariffs.



Trump's energy czar, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright will host the June 2 event, the sources told Reuters, requesting anonymity as the details are not public.



The event will include a visit to Alaska's remote North Slope, one source said, home to stranded gas fields the U.S. is seeking to unlock through the proposed $44 billion pipeline. It would traverse 800 miles across the huge state before the gas is liquefied for shipment, mainly to Asian customers.



Trump has pushed allies like Japan and South Korea to buy U.S. energy while threatening trade tariffs. He has said Tokyo and Seoul want to invest "trillions of dollars each" in the pipeline project.



It is unlikely the Alaska meeting will yield major deals related to the long-delayed pipeline project, as originally hoped, and the size and seniority of the foreign contingent is unclear, the sources said.