Planning for different power outcomes 12/20/2009
In developing an integrated resource plan for power generation and transmission in the Alaska Railbelt, consultancy firm Black and Veatch evaluated four possible future power scenarios, Kevin Harper, Bl...

Power for the future 12/20/2009
AEA publishes draft integrated resource plan for Alaska Railbelt electricity
The Alaska Energy Authority has published a draft regional integrated resource plan that presents options and recommendations for the future of electricity power generation, transmission and demand ma...

$15M for Alaska geothermal projects 11/15/2009
The Obama administration's economic stimulus package is providing $15 million in funding through the U.S. Department of Energy for geothermal projects in the State of Alaska, U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-...

Renewable energy investments recommended 11/08/2009
Draft report from Senate Resources, Energy committees also recommended 'staying the course' on AGIA state-supported gas project
The draft of a report on the state's energy situation, released Oct. 19 by members of the Alaska Senate energy policy group, provides a wide-ranging look at proposals from energy-efficient buildings t...

Rules for wells deeper than 1,000 feet 11/01/2009
AOGCC says its regulations will apply to wells in the Bristol Bay area because of likelihood of unexpected oil, gas encounters
The Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission has determined that there is "sufficient likelihood" that wells drilled in designated townships in the Bristol Bay area would "encounter oil, gas or othe...

No quick carbon fixes 10/25/2009
Oil sands leader argues 'absolute' limits on oil sands' GHG would burden sector; Imperial boss says answers could take 100 years
Two leading players in the Alberta oil sands - the flashpoint of Canada's climate-change wrangling - have answered criticism that the sector is not doing enough to explain itself. In the process, the...

RCA to adopt net metering regulations 10/25/2009
New regulations provide incentive for investment in renewable electric generation, allowing consumers to put power into utilities
Renewable power generation may be coming to your neighborhood. And it may be built by your neighbor, thanks to proposed regulations that would require Alaska's largest utilities to allow hookups by su...

Are Cook Inlet gas supplies in crisis? 10/25/2009
As winter approaches, Chevron manager presents facts, figures about natural gas supply and demand in Southcentral Alaska
Natural gas has flowed out of the Cook Inlet basin with apparent ease for around 40 years, in some ways the life blood of Southcentral Alaska, firing heater furnaces, fueling power stations and suppor...

Railbelt crossroads 10/11/2009
Gas-dependent SC Alaska tries to determine how to meet energy needs
As the Municipality of Anchorage prepares for the possibility of natural gas shortages during the cold of the coming winter, shortages that would cause the electric utilities to activate contingency p...

AOGCC requirements; DNR permits 10/04/2009
Geothermal wells will be drilled with Department of Natural Resources permits, but drilling must meet commission requirements
The Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission held a hearing Sept. 23 on a commission motion to require an AOGCC drilling permit for any well with a total vertical depth greater than 1,000 feet in sp...

Mining News: Canada chips in for northwest power line 09/27/2009
B.C. officials, miners praise federal government's investment of C$130 million in future economy in northern region of province
The Canadian government has approved C$130 million in funding for construction of the Northwest Transmission Line in northern British Columbia, a power conduit that could eventually connect with Alask...

Mining News: Reclamation draws 200 to Yellowknife 09/27/2009
About 100 scientists, engineers, and regulators attended the 2009 Northern Latitudes Mining Reclamation Workshop held in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Sept. 8-11. Presenters delivered 22 profess...

Chena Power tests mobile unit in Fairbanks 09/27/2009
A mobile power plant designed to generate electricity from low-temperature hot water is on its way to the Lower 48 after a successful first stop in Fairbanks. The plant, developed by Chena Power, Uni...

Campbell backs renewable energy in state 09/27/2009
Visits Unalakleet wind project with Vermont's lieutenant governor; six 100-kilowatt Vermont wind turbines being installed there
Alaska Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell affirmed the Parnell administration's commitment to renewable energy at a forum in Fairbanks on September 17. "The bottom line is we face a bright future with an aggres...

The geothermal dilemma 08/30/2009
DNR has geothermal authority; AOGCC has technical drilling expertise
There's been growing excitement in Alaska the last few years over the possibility of using geothermal energy to create power. At Chena Hot Springs power is being generated using hot springs water. Bu...

NEA spuds King Salmon geothermal well 08/23/2009
Exploration targets potential resource under the eastern end of Alaska Peninsula; could provide power for local communities
After more than 10 years of investigation and planning by Southwest Alaska electric cooperative, Naknek Electric Association, the co-op's first geothermal exploration well, the Naknek-G No.1, is augur...

Naknek Electric Association 07/12/2009
permitting first geothermal well; up to 6 wells over 3 years Naknek Electric Association has applied for an Alaska Coastal Management Plan consistency review for its planned geothermal drilling progra...

Fairbanks businessman eyes small-scale nuclear power 06/28/2009
Plan is second public proposal for small-scale nuclear power in Alaska; would be in Ester
Geothermal, hydroelectric and wind power have all been pitched as solutions to Alaska's high energy prices. But what about nuclear? Fairbanks businessman John Reeves recently took the first step towa...

DGGS gearing up for summer field work 05/17/2009
Investigations continue on North Slope, along the Alaska Highway corridor, around the Cook Inlet basin and near Slate Creek
Geoscientists from Alaska's Division of Geological and Geophysical Services are getting ready to pull out their boots, hammers and notebooks for another busy summer field season, progressing work prog...

Chena geothermal conference takes stock 05/10/2009
Electric utilities, independent power producers, UA, state and federal agencies hear challenges, opportunities in geothermal power
To get a sense of how things look for geothermal energy in Alaska, consider the title of the conference held April 28-30 at the Chena Hot Springs Resort near Fairbanks - "Risks, Barriers, and Opportun...

Charting a renewable future for U.S. 04/12/2009
Salazar says renewable energy development needed to reduce dependence on foreign oil, create U.S. jobs and reduce carbon emissions
Candidate Obama said it during his presidential campaign; President Obama has repeated it since taking the oath of office; and now the Obama administration has picked up the refrain: The United States...

Feds offer geothermal training in June 04/12/2009
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service are offering a training session in Anchorage on environmentally sound development of geothermal energy. BLM said this is one of seven sessio...

Looking for biomass fuel alternatives 02/22/2009
Could wood and other biomass fuels become a more significant part of the Alaska energy mix, especially for rural communities?
Thoughts of a bygone era in the Alaska frontier conjure up images of rustic cabins and roaring log fires. And many a home in the state still enjoys the heat from a wood stove. But in the age of centra...

Climate change and the NS oil industry 02/15/2009
Gas-powered facilities on the North Slope emit large amounts of carbon dioxide but reducing these emissions could prove very costly
Although climate change concerns in Alaska have tended to revolve around impacts such as coastal erosion and melting permafrost, the state administration has also been looking at the other side of the...

Evolving incentives for renewable energy 02/08/2009
As part of a Jan. 29 presentation on geothermal energy to the Senate Special Committee on Energy, Chris Rose, executive director of the Renewable Energy Alaska Project, presented an overview of the ev...