By Gary Abernathy
This article was originally published by The Empowerment Alliance and is re-published with permission.
A few short months ago, much of the world seemed doomed to a bleak energy future, with unreliable, taxpayer-subsidized “renewables” being foisted upon homes and businesses by governments kneeling at the altar of the climate cult. The result was nation after nation winning plaudits from the extreme environmental movement, but increasingly incapable of meeting the energy demands of the 21st Century.
Thanks to U.S. voters in the 2024 elections, the world’s leading superpower has reversed course – and where America leads, the world tends to follow. Today, there’s renewed optimism that our energy resources will meet future demands – particularly as it relates to natural gas, the most affordable, reliable and clean choice among traditional energy sources.
In some cases, the turnaround is in the form of projects producing more gas for domestic use. But even when U.S. projects transport gas to other countries, the new infrastructure, additional jobs and an expanded tax base combine to benefit states and local communities.
In addition to the new gas pipelines from Pennsylvania to New York previously highlighted in this space – along with a growing list of other projects – three recently announced developments highlight the resurgence of natural gas.
1. Alaska LNG project. Once considered a lost opportunity, there is renewed interest in a project on Alaska’s North Slope “that would deliver vast amounts of natural gas … in an 800-mile pipeline, super-chill it in Southcentral Alaska, and transport the liquefied natural gas overseas to countries like Japan, Korea and Taiwan,” according to the Anchorage Daily News.
Some reports have suggested that President Trump’s tariff threats played a part in getting Asia’s attention. Whatever the case, delegations from those countries trekked to Alaska in early June “expressing interest in the project and also seeking to learn more about it. A Taiwanese official even said Alaska LNG could one day become that country’s primary source of energy, if the project is built,” the Daily News reported.
While there remain skeptics due to the project’s cost, others are optimistic. State Rep. Chuck Kopp (R) said the interest from Asian representatives and other favorable developments “give him confidence that it will be built starting in the next two or three years.”
In addition to supplying foreign countries, the project would also provide more natural gas within Alaska’s borders, available to Fairbanks by 2028 or 2029, according to the report.
2. Louisiana LNG project. A $28 billion LNG export project recently broke ground in Louisiana, slated to bring jobs and an expanded local tax base.
“Upon completion, Venture Global expects to become the largest LNG exporter in the United States and the second largest in the world,” according to the trade news site Offshore Energy. “Recently, CP2 received final approval and notices to proceed from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).”
In addition to providing U.S. natural gas to customers around the world, the project is expected to mean more than $4 billion in local property taxes during its operation and support 3,000 jobs in the state, including 400 direct, permanent employees.
The project’s impact will reach far beyond Louisiana’s borders, with roughly 7,500 direct construction jobs and “tens of thousands of indirect subcontractor, part-time, and full-time jobs in over 30 states,” according to the report.
3. Texas data center gas power plants. Texas is ground zero for many of the crucial new AI data centers springing up to meet demand. Previously, it was assumed that these server farms would be powered by wind or solar, meaning long wait times before the centers could go online. But thanks to government policies friendlier to proven traditional resources, those plans are changing.
Across Texas “a frantic race to boot up energy-hungry data centers has led many developers to plan their own gas-fired power plants rather than wait for connection to the state’s public grid. Egged on by supportive government policies, this buildout promises to lock in strong gas demand for a generation to come,” according to The Texas Tribune.
“Operating alone, a wind or solar farm can’t run a data center,” the article noted. “Battery technologies still can’t store such large amounts of energy for the length of time required to provide steady, uninterrupted power for 24 hours per day as data centers require.”
Facing a “tidal wave” of new AI projects, companies are increasingly partnering with natural gas companies to “fuel the new era of demand.”
The Tribune story includes standard-issue climate cult handwringing. But it drives home the reality that “the yearslong wait times for turbines has quickly become the (AI) industry’s largest constraint in an otherwise positive outlook,” and quotes one energy economy expert as saying, “If you’re looking at a five-year lead time, that’s not going to help Alexa or Siri today.”
Thanks to radical policies of the recent past, the U.S. and much of the world seemed hell-bent on phasing out natural gas and other reliable energy sources, racing instead toward endless cycles of brownouts, blackouts, and complete grid failures brought on by the inadequacies of “alternatives.”
In the nick of time, thanks to President Trump and other forward-thinking leaders, the turnaround has begun – and natural gas is leading the way.
Gary Abernathy is a longtime newspaper editor, reporter and columnist. He was a contributing columnist for the Washington Post from 2017-2023 and a frequent guest analyst across numerous media platforms. He is a contributing columnist for The Empowerment Alliance, which advocates for realistic approaches to energy consumption and environmental conservation. The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Empowerment Alliance.
This article was originally published by RealClearEnergy and made available via RealClearWire.
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