Trump Says Taiwan to Buy 30% of Alaska LNG Pipeline's Gas
Is Alaska's gas pipeline finally being unleashed by cutting political red tape or is it a risky bet on permafrost faults and non-binding deals?
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Above: A view of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), which carries oil, at its starting point in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, on May 9, 2025. Image credit: Lance King/Getty Images
The Facts
- U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday at a campaign rally in Wasilla, Alaska, that Taiwan had agreed to buy 30% of the gas from a proposed liquefied natural gas pipeline project in the state over the next 20 years, calling it "one of the biggest commitments in history for anything."
- Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who also appeared at the Alaska rally, said Taiwan has committed to investing $4.4 billion to develop the pipeline. The project would carry gas from Alaska's north to its south for shipment as LNG.
- In response, Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai said the government aims to "stabilize the entire energy supply and build its resilience," adding that Taiwan has worked since the start of the year to keep oil, electricity and gas supplies steady. Taiwan's economic affairs ministry had no immediate comment.
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The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Decades of red tape kept Alaska's gas locked in the ground while other administrations dithered. Clearing every federal permit at once proves the delays were always a political choice, not a technical necessity. Shovels in the ground mean real jobs, energy independence and allies buying American gas instead of funding adversaries.
Establishment-critical narrative
Headline announcements don't pour concrete or secure financing. A pipeline crossing active faults and thawing permafrost carries engineering and cost-overrun risks no podium speech can mitigate; moreover, non-binding letters of intent aren't contracts. Betting tens of billions on volatile Asian demand risks leaving a stranded asset and investors holding the loss.
