Legislature(2001 - 2002)

04/27/2001 03:55 PM Senate RES

Audio Topic
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
                     ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                   
                    SENATE RESOURCES COMMITTEE                                                                                
                          April 27, 2001                                                                                        
                             3:55 p.m.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Senator John Torgerson, Chair                                                                                                   
Senator Drue Pearce, Vice Chair                                                                                                 
Senator Pete Kelly                                                                                                              
Senator Kim Elton                                                                                                               
Senator Georgianna Lincoln                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Senator Rick Halford                                                                                                            
Senator Robin Taylor                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 10                                                                                             
Expressing the legislature's support for sale of a portion of                                                                   
Alaska's North Slope natural gas for electrical generation to power                                                             
data centers within the North Slope Borough.                                                                                    
     HEARD AND HELD                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
PREVIOUS SENATE COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SCR 10 - No previous action to consider.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
WITNESS REGISTER                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Kris Knauss                                                                                                                 
Staff to Senator Kelly                                                                                                          
Alaska State Capitol                                                                                                            
Juneau, AK  99801-1182                                                                                                          
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented SCR 10 for the sponsor.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Mike Caskey                                                                                                                 
MDU Resources Group                                                                                                             
Denver CO                                                                                                                       
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported SCR 10.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Mark Myers, Director                                                                                                        
Division of Oil and Gas                                                                                                         
Department of Natural Resources                                                                                                 
550 W 7th Ave., Ste 800                                                                                                         
Anchorage AK 99501                                                                                                              
POSITION STATEMENT: Commented on SCR 10.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Kevin Banks                                                                                                                 
Division of Oil and Gas                                                                                                         
Department of Natural Resources                                                                                                 
550 W 7th Ave., Ste 800                                                                                                         
Anchorage AK 99501                                                                                                              
POSITION STATEMENT: Commented on SCR 10.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
ACTION NARRATIVE                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
TAPE 01-34, SIDE A                                                                                                            
Number 001                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
         SCR 10-SALE OF NATURAL GAS TO POWER DATA CENTERS                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  JOHN  TORGERSON  called  the  Senate  Resources  Committee                                                          
meeting  to order at  3:55 p.m. and  announced SCR  10 to be  up for                                                            
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  PEARCE moved  to adopt  the proposed  committee  substitute                                                            
(CS), labeled  4/26/01 Chenoweth - Version F, to SCR  10. There were                                                            
no objections and it was so ordered.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MR. KRIS KNAUSS,  staff to Senator  Kelly, explained that  SCR 10 is                                                            
intended  to send a message  stating the  Legislature's support  for                                                            
the sale of state  royalty gas for the purposes of  an Internet data                                                            
center  and to  promote business  in  Alaska, realizing  that  North                                                            
Slope gas has been stranded  for at least the past 30 years. He said                                                            
Senator Kelly supports the committee substitute.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR LINCOLN  asked if someone  would go through the differences                                                             
in the versions.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN TORGERSON  explained that the Version F basically  lays out                                                            
the steps you  have to go through  to purchase state royalty  gas by                                                            
referencing  the process  to actual  statutes  and regulations  that                                                            
govern  and  control   its  sale.  Language  on  page   3  asks  the                                                            
commissioner to bring a  contract to the legislature for approval or                                                            
a report of why  the state can't sell the royalty  gas. This assures                                                            
action and that third parties  will have knowledge of the processes.                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MR. MIKE  CASKEY,  MDU Resources  Group, thanked  the committee  for                                                            
inviting  him to speak about  one of MDU's  favorite projects  named                                                            
Netricity. He  said the idea came from looking for  a way to utilize                                                            
trapped gas  on the North  Slope. The Netricity  proposal would  use                                                            
enough  gas on  the North  Slope to  produce  approximately  500,000                                                            
megawatts of power to drive a data center that would supply non-                                                                
grid data electricity  for the transmission  of international  data.                                                            
He said, "There are several  things in the Lower 48 that really make                                                            
data centers  not seem the best use  of grid power at this  point in                                                            
time because the grid is so loaded."                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MR. CASKEY  said that MDU is proposing  that a fairly large  portion                                                            
of  the  Internet  have  a  dedicated   power  grid  in  Alaska  for                                                            
continuous,   high-level   dependability   for   the  international                                                             
Internet. It would employ  Alaskans and develop resources instate to                                                            
the degree that very few other projects would do.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  TORGERSON  said  he had  a  thousand  questions  generated                                                            
around MDU's  lack of a business  plan, but  he liked to hear  about                                                            
local  hire and  development  of Alaska's  resources.  He said  this                                                            
proposal would have to  be a good deal for the State of Alaska also.                                                            
He said the committee  needs more detail than the  one page offer to                                                            
buy 25  percent of  Alaska royalty  gas  for 25 years.  He said  the                                                            
proposal  has raised the  question of  whether or  not the State  of                                                            
Alaska  could   take  its  royalty   in-kind  share  prior   to  the                                                            
construction or sale of the product by the producers.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MR. MARK  MYERS, Director,  Division of Oil  and Gas, Department  of                                                            
Natural Resources (DNR),  said he thought it was very appropriate to                                                            
describe the  state's process. He  told members, "Pricing  the value                                                            
of  the  gas  at  this  time  is  very  difficult  considering   the                                                            
uncertainty in  terms of the quantity of gas on the  North Slope and                                                            
the netback we  would receive from sales and the long-term  price of                                                            
gas."                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MR. MYERS said the state  is getting about $1.10 - $1.11 per million                                                            
cubic feet  (MCF) of gas right now.  Netricity's proposal  was about                                                            
36 cents minus [indisc.],  which brings that down to about 15 cents.                                                            
Applying  that difference  to  a 1 trillion  cubic  foot (TCF)  sale                                                            
amounts  to over $1  billion. He  explained, "So,  we're looking  at                                                            
very significant variations  in terms of interpreting what the value                                                            
of royalty gas is."                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
He said  DNR is just  beginning to  get to the  valuation issue  and                                                            
this is the first  proposal. He said that long term  contracts of 20                                                            
to 25 years are  not the way gas is sold anymore.  Options for long-                                                            
term are  available, but  premiums are associated  with them.  As to                                                            
whether  the state could  require purchase  of all  of it is  purely                                                            
uncharted  territory at  this point  prior to a  major gas sale.  He                                                            
thought  Alaska could  legally sell  its royalty  share, but  DNR is                                                            
working  with the Department  of Law  to resolve  that issue  and to                                                            
determine how to do the payback.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MR. KEVIN BANKS, Division  of Oil and Gas, DNR, said he would answer                                                            
questions,  but  that Mr.  Myers had  outlined  the  issue they  are                                                            
trying to get their arms around.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN TORGERSON asked  Mr. Myers when they expect a legal opinion                                                            
from the Department of Law.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR. MYERS  replied he does  not have a date,  but the Department  of                                                            
Law is working at it diligently.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  TORGERSON  asked if  the current  royalty  agreements  are                                                            
confidential.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR. MYERS said they are not confidential.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN TORGERSON  asked if he received copies of  the letters from                                                            
Phillips and BP commenting on this issue.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR. MYERS said  he received the Phillips'  response, but  not the BP                                                            
one.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN TORGERSON said that both basically said the same thing.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MR.  MYERS said  he  understood the  Phillips'  letter  to say  that                                                            
Phillips was willing to work with the state on it.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  PEARCE said  she understood  the Phillips'  letter to  talk                                                            
about the governing  leases and settlement agreements.   She thought                                                            
settlement   agreements   were  different   from   the  unitization                                                             
agreement.  She asked if  the Department of  Law would provide  them                                                            
with something that would  explain the different tiers of governance                                                            
and determine  whether the Department  could sell state gas  or not.                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MR. MYERS  said he  didn't have an  answer for her  in terms  of the                                                            
settlement agreements;  portions of those are confidential.  He said                                                            
those  are  good questions  the  Department  of  Law would  have  to                                                            
answer.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR ELTON asked what the normal term of a gas contract is.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR. MYERS  said he thought  it is about five  years. He said  one of                                                            
the challenges would be to figure out what the market value is.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN TORGERSON  asked if he is  assuming there would  be a fixed                                                            
price for gas for five years.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR. MYERS  responded  that prior  to having  a major  gas sale,  DNR                                                            
would have to  find a mechanism to value that time.  If the pipeline                                                            
isn't in place  until 2006, DNR would  need some mechanism  to value                                                            
North Slope gas for multiple years.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  TORGERSON  asked  if that  would  be  part of  the  normal                                                            
process of selling gas.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR. MYERS answered it would,  because the volume of gas is so large,                                                            
a small  difference would  mean millions  of dollars. He  commented,                                                            
"On 1 TCF, one  cent per million square feet is about  $10 million."                                                            
That is one of the challenges with this proposal.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  TORGERSON  said  that  the  committee  was  talking  about                                                            
options of  six or seven  years, "to give  the folks a chance  to go                                                            
around and sell their idea."                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
He asked if DNR would look at an option.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MR. MYERS answered  they would look  at options, but something  like                                                            
this would have a significant  premium. He didn't think 36 cents was                                                            
a very  reasonable value  based on the current  sale price  of $1.30                                                            
that the state gets.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN TORGERSON asked  if there would be a yearly premium payment                                                            
for an option.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR. MYERS answered  yes, that's the standard way of  doing business.                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  TORGERSON  asked  if  a  premium  for  options  should  be                                                            
mentioned in the resolution.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR.  MYERS said  it is  part of  their duty  to protect  the  public                                                            
interest  and get a fair  value for the gas  and he didn't  think it                                                            
was a bad idea to put it in.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  TORGERSON asked him  to find out  the Department  of Law's                                                            
projected time  line for its answer. Mr. Myers acknowledged  that he                                                            
would do that.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  TORGERSON noted  that there were  no further questions  at                                                            
this  time and  said  he would  hold  SCR 10  for further  work.  He                                                            
adjourned the meeting at 4:27 p.m.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                

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