The companies, in a recent filing with federal regulators, estimated 991 billion cubic meters of proven gas reserves on the North Slope.
Through a process in which TransCanada beat out applicants including a Chinese company several years ago, the state agreed to reimburse up to US$500 million of the eligible costs of the project.
A TransCanada spokeswoman declined comment on whether there had been interest from China on the project, saying: “All discussions with individual customers are confidential and we would not be able to discuss any individual details as a result of that.”
A rival project by Britain’s BP PLC and Houston-based ConocoPhillips is also moving ahead.
Campbell said he was not advocating any specific project, but he’d like Chinese officials to visit “earlier, rather than later.”
They have indicated a “huge demand,” for natural gas, he said, and Alaska wants a market.
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