The announcement
On Tuesday evening, 13 October, President Donald Trump told a rally in Wasilla, Alaska, that Taiwan had agreed to buy 30% of the gas flowing from the planned pipeline over the next 20 years. He said the commitment guaranteed the project's success. Europa Press reported that Taiwan would invest $4.4 billion (3.925 billion euros) in the gas infrastructure, and the rally took place a few weeks before the 3 November midterm elections.
Trump gave no details of the agreement with Taipei, according to Rzeczpospolita, and Taiwan had not commented immediately on his remarks. The Trump administration had announced the wider energy project earlier in the month, Europa Press reported. After the rally, Trump travelled on to Las Vegas, following an eight-hour flight from Washington to Alaska.
The pipeline and its timetable
The project would carry gas about 1,300 kilometres through a pipeline one metre in diameter, from northern Alaska to a port in the south of the state. There the gas would be converted to liquefied natural gas and shipped to Asia, the main market, according to AFP as carried by Agerpres. Glenfarne, a US group, holds 75% of the project and the State of Alaska holds 25%. AFP reported that technical hurdles remain and that the pipeline would be operational in 2030 at best. Reuters, cited by Rzeczpospolita, said the project could export up to 20 million tonnes of LNG a year, giving US gas direct access to Asian markets with shorter and cheaper shipping. Europa Press added that the work would create about 12,000 direct construction jobs, and that the project promises lower household energy bills in the state. Alaska's leaders have defended the project for years, but concerns about costs and economic feasibility have held it back.
South Korea's stake and the investment claims
Outlets differ on the size of South Korea's commitment to the pipeline. Europa Press put it at $50 billion (44.6 billion euros), while Rzeczpospolita reported $54 billion. Seoul said its participation has not yet been finally approved. Europa Press also described a South Korean investment package totalling $200 billion (178.4 billion euros) for the wider project. Trump claimed that $21 trillion (18.7 trillion euros) was being invested in new plants and factories on US soil. He blamed earlier administrations for refusing to impose tariffs, which he said allowed Taiwan to take over the semiconductor business.
Campaign, pardons and Iran
The rally came ahead of the 3 November midterms, in which Republicans are seeking to keep their Senate majority, according to the Washington Post as cited by Rzeczpospolita. Trump backed incumbent Republican senator Dan Sullivan, who is seeking reelection against former Democratic congresswoman Mary Peltola, and polls show the two at similar levels. Trump credited Sullivan with a key mediating role in the South Korean deal. Trump also signed pardons for two local men who had been charged with breaking Clean Air Act rules, and who admitted violating the law in 2022. He brought both men on stage and said they had faced 10 years in prison for fixing an engine. Trump also said the war with Iran would end soon and that prices would then fall.