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Marathon gets more time to build LNG import project in Alaska

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Marathon gets more time to build LNG import project in Alaska


A view reveals pipes main from an oil tanker close to Marathon Petroleum’s refinery, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in Anacortes, Washington, U.S., March 9, 2022. Image taken with a drone. REUTERS/David Ryder

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Aug 16 (Reuters) – Marathon Petroleum Corp’s (MPC.N) Trans-Foreland Pipeline Co unit obtained extra time to transform the Kenai liquefied pure gasoline (LNG) export plant in Alaska into an import terminal, U.S. vitality regulators mentioned on Tuesday.

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The U.S. Federal Vitality Regulatory Fee (FERC) authorized Trans-Foreland’s request for an extension to finish the mission till December 2025.

FERC first authorized Trans-Foreland’s request to construct the plant in December 2020 and gave the corporate till December 2022 to position it into service.

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Trans-Foreland mentioned it has but to make a ultimate funding determination (FID) to construct the mission as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine have worsened financial and logistical situations.

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“Uncertainty and volatility within the international LNG market have made it tough for Trans-Foreland to safe an acceptable provide association that would supply the monetary certainty essential for the mission,” Trans-Foreland mentioned in an earlier submitting.

Trans-Foreland, nonetheless, mentioned the mission “stays commercially viable.” The corporate mentioned it “is actively looking for appropriate provides and monitoring LNG markets.”

As soon as Trans-Foreland makes business preparations for appropriate provide, the corporate mentioned it anticipates making its FID and shifting ahead with the mission.

Trans-Foreland has mentioned the ability would import as much as 4 tanker a great deal of LNG per 12 months and use its boil-off gasoline administration system to ship imported gasoline to the adjoining Kenai refinery.

The Kenai LNG export plant entered service in 1969. It has not exported LNG since 2015.

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The plant was the one massive LNG export facility in North America till Cheniere Vitality Inc’s (LNG.A) Sabine Move export terminal in Louisiana entered service in February 2016. Almost the entire LNG from Kenai went to Japan.

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Reporting by Scott DiSavino
Enhancing by Marguerita Choy

Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Belief Ideas.

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Alaska

Hydroponics provide year-round growing for Alaska farmers

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Hydroponics provide year-round growing for Alaska farmers


On a recent December afternoon, Soldotna farmer Taylor Lewis preps for a day of harvesting crops. She walks to a tray filled with ripe lettuce and snips a head of it by the stem.

It’s just one of about 900 plants that Taylor and her mother-in-law Jayme Lewis will harvest and process this week – despite freezing temperatures and slushy snow outside. That’s because the duo works for Edgy Veggie, an indoor farm that grows produce year round.

“In the summer, a lot of our business drops off because folks are gardening at home. But in the winter, they’re not, because it costs money to heat your greenhouse,” Jayme said. “It costs a lot of money to heat your greenhouse.”

The company is a hydroponic farm, meaning they grow plants without soil. Hydroponic systems recycle and reuse nutrient-filled water, which minimizes waste. Specially made lighting and climate controlled conditions make it possible for Edgy Veggie to grow indoors during the winter months.

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Climate controlled grow rooms like this one at Edgy Veggie in Soldotna make it possible to harvest greens and herbs year-round.

Around Thanksgiving, the company harvested 150 pounds of lettuce, enough to make about 800 salads. That took two days and was one of their biggest hauls of the year. Although not a typical harvest for the company, Jayme says she does see an uptick in business during the winter when Alaska’s produce is almost exclusively shipped up from the Lower 48.

“If you go to the grocery store and pick up a head of lettuce right now, by the time you get it home it will be wilted,” Jayme said. “That’s sad. Literally, that’s sad.”

Jayme says some local restaurants have sourced their vegetables from Edgy Veggie because they last longer and are fresher than grocery store produce.

Nestled between two train cars-turned-restaurants on the other side of town, Henry Krull walks inside his shipping container farm. He points to a wall that’s growing hundreds of bunches of butter lettuce.

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Krull is the owner of fresh365, another Kenai Peninsula based hydroponic farm. Just like Edgy Veggie, the farm operates entirely indoors.

“The advantage of growing indoors, in a container like we have, is that we can control the environment,” Krull said. “We can grow no matter what’s going on outside. It can be 30 below outside, but it’s always 70 degrees or so inside.”

fresh365 also sees an uptick in direct-to-consumer sales in the winter. Otherwise, most of their sales go to other businesses, like local restaurants.

Lettuce sprouts, like these seen at Edgy Veggie in Soldotna, are placed in a specially designed watering system and grown without soil.

Lettuce sprouts, like these seen at Edgy Veggie in Soldotna, are placed in a specially designed watering system and grown without soil.

And while indoor farming means fresh, local produce year-round for Alaskans, it faces a number of challenges. Krull says growing in a hydroponic setting is much more expensive than traditional farming methods. So, to offset his farm’s energy costs, he installed solar panels, which were partially funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP.

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But, Krull says the property doesn’t get much sunlight in the winter.

“The sun is a very valuable commodity, it’s valuable for not only producing electricity, but it helps to lower the energy costs,” he said. “And the energy costs of the farm containers we have is actually very, very high, because we can’t take advantage of the sun.”

Edgy Veggie, on the other hand, doesn’t even have solar panels. Jayme says their energy costs are high year round.

“Electricity, especially, is outrageous,” she said. “I wish that the state had some sort of option with the electric companies to help support farming. We’re providing a service to the community, honestly. We’re trying to, but it might run us out of business.”

Other challenges to hydroponics include faulty pumps and timers, ventilation issues and water leaks. Like traditional farming, hydroponic farmers say it’s backbreaking work.

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fresh365 owner Henry Krull says the hydroponic farm recently started growing mushrooms, like

fresh365 owner Henry Krull holds a box of lion’s mane. The hydroponic farm recently started growing mushrooms alongside its greens and herbs.

But, for farmers like Taylor Lewis, offering fresh and local produce year round is a labor of love.

“Being able to supply our community with anything fresh is great,” Taylor said. “What we have as options in the grocery store – it’s not cutting it.”

“These belong in every community,” Krull said. “We’ve been able to prove that as a business model, it works. You can make a profit doing it, you can provide a good service to your community, and I think we can really do good for our community by providing something that is not readily available on a year-round basis.”

According to the U.S Department of Agriculture, only 5% of food Alaskans consume is grown locally. The state also has very short growing seasons.

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Alaska

Nature: Northern Lights above Alaska

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Nature: Northern Lights above Alaska


Nature: Northern Lights above Alaska – CBS News

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We leave you this Sunday morning in the spirit of Christmas, with the northern lights in skies above Alaska. Videographer: Michael Clark.

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Alaska

Riding the rails with Santa on the Alaska Railroad Holiday Train

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Riding the rails with Santa on the Alaska Railroad Holiday Train


ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – It’s not the Polar Express, exactly, but families rode a train with Santa and his elves for a festive family event.

The Holiday Train is one of several event-oriented train rides hosted by Alaska Railroads. The train made three holiday runs in the month of December, this Saturday was it’s last. Tickets to ride were completely sold out for both the afternoon and evening ride.

Passengers sang carols and shared snacks on the two and a half hour ride, but one special passenger aboard the train was a real Christmas celebrity. Santa Claus accompanied riders on their trip as they enjoyed entertainment by a magician, and left the train with holiday-themed balloon animals.

The train pulled into the Anchorage depot after it’s tour, each end of the locomotive decorated in holiday lights.

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The Johnsons, a family of four who just disembarked from the train, said 2024 was their second year on the holiday train. Addie, 9, said there was a lot of entertainment and she hopes to eventually come again. Her younger brother Liam said he got to meet Santa while riding, and would like a toy truck for Christmas.

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