Chinese companies agree to develop LNG in Alaska as Trump visits

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A full moon helps illuminate an Alaskan pipeline under the faint glow of the Aurora Borealis on November 19, 2002 near Milne Point, Alaska.

The agreement will involve investment of up to $43 billion, create up to 12,000 U.S. jobs during construction, reduce the trade deficit between the United States and Asia by $10 billion a year, and give China clean energy, it said.

There were no other details. AGDC is building a gas treatment plant, an 800-mile (1,287 km) pipeline to south central Alaska for in-state use, and a liquefaction plant in Nikiski to produce up to 20 million tons of LNG per year for export.

China, the world’s third-largest gas buyer, is importing more LNG as the government tries to wean the country off dirty coal as part of its push to clear the skies, while the United States wants to sell more of its excess gas abroad.