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U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Taiwan has agreed to buy 30% of the liquefied natural gas produced by the planned Alaska LNG pipeline for 20 years, while Taiwan confirmed plans to invest up to $4.4 billion in the project.
“Taiwan has just agreed to buy 30% of the gas coming off the pipeline for the next 20 years,” Trump said at a campaign rally in Wasilla, Alaska. “That guarantees a success.”
“It’s one of the biggest commitments in history for anything. It’s one of the biggest deals ever made,” he added.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who also appeared at the rally, said Taiwan would invest $4.4 billion in developing the pipeline.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs confirmed Wednesday that current plans include purchasing 6 million metric tons of Alaska LNG annually once production begins and participating in the project’s development with an investment of up to $4.4 billion.
“If the project progresses smoothly according to the planned timeline, it is expected to begin further supplementing domestic natural gas supplies as early as 2032,” the ministry said.
Taiwan’s state-owned CPC Corp. reached an agreement last year with the Alaska Gasline Development Corp. to purchase LNG from the project and seek investment participation.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs said in early 2025 that CPC would “procure LNG and seek upstream investment participation rights to secure a stable future energy supply for Taiwan.”
Premier Cho Jung-tai said Wednesday that the government’s role was to ensure the “stability and resilience” of Taiwan’s energy supply.
“We have been working tirelessly to maintain a stable domestic supply of oil, electricity, and natural gas,” he said.
Taiwan imports nearly all of its energy needs.
Official Taiwanese data for the first eight months of 2026 showed Australia accounted for 34.8% of Taiwan’s LNG imports, replacing Qatar as its largest supplier after the start of the Middle East war and Iran’s claimed control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Qatar accounted for 10.7%, down from 35.1% in the same period last year, while U.S. LNG imports more than tripled to 24.5%.
The planned 1,300-kilometer, or 800-mile, pipeline would transport natural gas from northern Alaska to the state’s south, where it would be converted into LNG for export.
The project is backed by U.S. group Glenfarne and the state of Alaska.
It is not expected to become operational before 2030 and still faces technical challenges.
Local Alaska leaders have supported the pipeline for years, though high costs and questions over its economic viability have slowed progress.
Once operational, LNG from the project would be shipped by tanker to Asian markets in a journey of about seven to nine days across the Pacific.
Trump recently said South Korea had also agreed to invest in the project, though Seoul later said no decision had been made.
China’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that attempts “to seek Taiwan independence under the pretext of economic and trade activities will not succeed.”
Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring the island under its control.
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