The state gasline corporation has opened a satellite office in Tokyo.
State officials and the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation have been working to market the state’s natural gas reserves to Asian markets.
Masatoshi Nick Shiratori confirmed by phone late Wednesday evening that he is running the new office in Japan.
Shiratori previously worked at Mitsubishi subsidiary Diamond Gas Shipping before he joined the state’s gasline team.
On January 19 a spokesperson for the corporation confirmed that the office is open. But, they have not yet announced it publicly.
Alaska’s gasline corporation is tasked with managing the massive Alaska LNG project that is expected to cost $45 billion to $65 billion to build. It’s still negotiating with ExxonMobil, BP and ConocoPhillips to take over the project.
In its current form, the LNG project would include an 800-mile pipeline to bring natural gas from the North Slope to Cook Inlet.
Rashah McChesney is a photojournalist turned radio journalist who has been telling stories in Alaska since 2012. Before joining Alaska's Energy Desk, she worked at Kenai's Peninsula Clarion and the Juneau bureau of the Associated Press. She is a graduate of Iowa State University's Greenlee Journalism School and has worked in public television, newspapers and now radio, all in the quest to become the Swiss Army knife of storytellers.
