Upgrading the grid: keeping electricity flowing across Alaska.

AuthorWest, Gail
PositionCONSTRUCTION

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Alaska's power grid is getting some needed upgrades and at least one new source of power in the near future-wind. While hydro power is still a twinkle in the governor's eye, wind energy will soon begin to add its kilowatt hours to help keep the lights on in both rural and urban Alaska. In Southcentral, Cook Inlet Region Inc. is nearing the power-up date for its new wind farm on Fire Island.

Three miles west of Anchorage, Fire Island Wind LLC, a subsidiary of CIRI, has begun pre-construction of an 11-turbine wind field that is anticipated to supply about 51,000 megawatt hours of power to Chugach Electric Association every year.

"We've closed with our lender, done all the predevelopment and development activities--been approved by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, by Chugach--we have all our significant permits," said Ethan Schutt, senior vice president of Land and Energy Development for CIRI. "We have all our project contracts and have ordered the turbines."

CIRI's general contractor, Delaney Group, is the same company that built the Kodiak wind farm, according to Schutt, and Delaney will be doing the on-island work. Although a large, national firm, Delaney has a long list of local subcontractors. Other local contractors have already begun transmission-line construction and additional transmission-line work will occur over the winter when frozen ground helps protect some of the more sensitive land areas.

"The biggest push on construction should begin in April," Schutt said. "The transmission line is well under way and the turbines will arrive by ship and be erected over the summer. We should have our first commercial power by late 2012."

Chugach will be the sole purchaser of the wind-farm power, Schutt said, and the two have signed a 25-year, fixed-rate contract. The Fire Island project will supply about 4 percent of Chugach's load, or enough electricity to power 6,000 Southcentral households.

"The cool thing," added Jim Jager, CIRI's director of Corporate Communications, "is that it doesn't run out after 25 years."

Jager said the cost of wind-generated power is free from fuel-price fluctuations from market conditions or supply disruptions, unlike power generated from natural gas.

The anticipated price tag for CIRI's wind farm is about $65 million, with more than $18 million coming from American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 tax credits and $25 million coming from a state appropriation for submarine and mainland transmission infrastructure.

SEEKING ALTERNATIVE SUPPLIES

CIRI also has its eye on a larger energy product, although it's much further down the road. It's an underground coal gasification project across Cook Inlet from...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT