Denali Commission sets aside funds for alternative energy 12/23/2007
The federally funded Denali Commission is taking the unprecedented step of setting aside funds specifically for alternative energy projects in rural Alaska in a move to help offset soaring fuel costs....

Energy bill passes 12/23/2007
Delegation herds legislation into law; includes Alaska-friendly provisions
President George W. Bush signed into law Dec. 19 bipartisan legislation sponsored by Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, to increase fuel economy for cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon, or 40 percen...

Tallying odds on railbelt energy race 12/16/2007
Forecasting power supply winners depends on assessing risks associated with factors such as future gas prices, potential carbon tax
About the only thing that's certain about the future of power supplies in the Alaska Railbelt is that some things need to change. Tight natural gas supplies, increasing gas prices, proposals for a gas...

Electric storm brewing in railbelt 12/02/2007
Aging Alaska power stations and infrastructure, combined with growing demand, tight gas supply behind urgency for change
A "perfect storm" of technical and economic issues seems to be heading straight towards the Alaska Railbelt electrical power grid. And, with reliable and reasonably priced electrical energy underpinni...

Chamber report issues energy wakeup call 11/25/2007
Business group calls for fiscal, energy strategies to meet short- and long-term needs of Alaska economy, beleaguered residents
Getting a grip on Alaska's energy outlook and developing a successful strategy to meet the needs of Alaskans now and in the future is the subject of a new 11-page report published by the Anchorage Cha...

Solving Cook Inlet's gas conundrum 11/18/2007
Region needs gas for foreseeable future; gas exploration, gas storage, North Slope gas, LNG all factor into energy supply options
The days of an overabundance of cheap natural gas from Cook Inlet basin may be over, but Southcentral Alaska needs reliable gas supplies for years to come was a recurring theme during the first day of...

Chena gets Prudhoe geothermal grant 10/21/2007
With DOE funds plans to test use of geothermal power plant to extract energy from oilfield-produced water on Alaska's North Slope
Mature oil fields such as Prudhoe Bay and Kuparuk on Alaska's North Slope produce vast quantities of water along with oil. That water is pumped back into the oil reservoirs to continue to flush oil ou...

Alaska Peninsula worth another look 10/14/2007
Geologist Bryan Sralla revisits petroleum potential of region that has been neglected for many years; early reports saw potential
With oil and gas seeps in proximity to obvious major geologic structures, the Alaska Peninsula became a prime initial focus of Alaska oil exploration in the first half of the 20th century. And in the...

Geothermal energy in Senate spotlight 10/07/2007
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Iceland president push for more research funding, favorable development policies for clean energy resource
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, called on Congress Sept. 26 to encourage geothermal energy development by funding more research to advance technology for producing the potentially low-cost energy...

BLM finalizes cost recovery fees 09/09/2007
The Bureau of Land Management published final regulations Sept. 5 regarding the adjustment of fees charged to recover costs for processing documents related to mineral operations on public lands. The...

A fresh look at Chakachamna hydropower 09/09/2007
Water from Chakachamna Lake west of the Cook Inlet might generate 300 megawatts for the Alaska Railbelt electricity grid
Located in a mountain valley immediately southwest of Mount Spurr on the west side of Alaska's Cook Inlet, the 14-mile long Chakachamna Lake presents a spectacular vista to pilots flying the Merrill P...

State plans Mount Spurr lease sale 09/02/2007
Call for applications for geothermal exploration rights attracts enough interest for competitive lease sale, probably in January
An escalating interest in renewable energy sources, driven no doubt by high oil prices and concerns about climate change, seems to have encouraged some significant interest in developing possible geot...