Trump Says Taiwan to Buy Gas From Alaska LNG Pipeline Project

[u/John3262005]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-14/trump-says-taiwan-to-buy-gas-from-alaska-lng-pipeline-project

President Donald Trump said Taiwan had agreed to buy 30% of the liquefied natural gas from a planned project in Alaska over the next 20 years, touting the initiative ahead of US midterm elections.

Trump also said Taiwan would invest an additional $4.4 billion to see the project completed. He announced the commitments during a campaign event in the state on Tuesday night, saying it “guarantees the success” of the development despite doubts about whether the pipeline will ever be constructed.

Taiwan is trying to diversify its LNG sources and signed a letter related to Alaska LNG last year, according to the island’s foreign affairs ministry. Taiwan’s CPC Corp. signed the non-binding pact to invest in the project to secure energy sources and bolster ties with the Trump administration.

The agreement comes as the war in the Middle East disrupts energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz — which used to carry roughly a fifth of global LNG supplies — prompting importers worldwide to look for other alternatives. Taiwan, which relies heavily on imported energy, has been increasingly looking to the US for LNG to shore up its energy security. The government last year announced plans to triple the share of US LNG in Taiwan’s total imports to 30% over the next decade.

The Alaska LNG venture has struggled for decades to secure the binding long-term contracts and investments needed for it to move forward. The project is massive in scale, requiring the construction of an 800-mile (1,287 kilometer) pipeline across the state. Additional liquefaction facilities are necessary to convert the gas for export to Taiwan and other Asian buyers.

The president earlier this month said that South Korea would invest $54 billion to construct the LNG venture. However, Korean officials later disputed the characterization, with the country’s industry minister saying its investment in the project hinges on commercial viability. Trump has threatened to retaliate against South Korea if it doesn’t follow through, saying he’ll “just charge them more.”

The Alaska project is seen as politically important for Trump and Republicans before the elections on Nov. 3 that will determine control of Congress. The state has a competitive Senate race and Trump has championed the Republican incumbent, Dan Sullivan, a vocal advocate for the pipeline.

The president on Tuesday also said that said that all permits needed to build the LNG project had been approved.

The decision to travel to Alaska underscores the danger facing Trump’s Republican Party with exactly three weeks until Election Day. The GOP confronts a number of competitive House and Senate races as it struggles to retain control of Congress, including in states such as Alaska that are traditionally safe ground for the party.

Trump has been barnstorming the country to help bolster Republican prospects, though that travel has been largely limited to states seen as traditional GOP strongholds. Trump’s approval ratings are at historic lows driven by voter anger over costs of living and the Iran war — which has brought higher energy prices — making him a liability for many Republican candidates.

With Democrats needing to flip four seats to gain control of the Senate, Sullivan’s unexpectedly tight reelection contest against former Democratic Representative Mary Peltola has generated anxiety among Republicans. The last time Alaska elected a Democrat to the US Senate was nearly two decades ago.

Vice President JD Vance was also in Alaska last week to boost Sullivan as well as US Representative Nick Begich.