The US Geological Survey estimates that Alaska's North Slope may hold about 96 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered, technically recoverable natural gas, KTOO reports. That is close to three years of US consumption.
Officials told a virtual briefing on Wednesday that the figure is roughly three times the gas already found by drilling in the region, which they put at about 35 trillion cubic feet of proven reserves. The geologist who led the work said it was in line with earlier thinking and took account of developments such as the Willow and Pikka oil projects.
An Interior Department official said the assessment supported President Donald Trump's order to expand Alaskan energy production. The agency stressed that its estimates do not say whether the gas could be produced profitably.
Source: KTOO
