RCA closes docket for Railbelt grid

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The Regulatory Commission of Alaska decided July 15 to close its docket regarding potential regulations for the creation of an electricity generation and transmission cooperative or unified power pool in the Alaska Railbelt. The docket was opened as a result of an August 2007 request from the Matanuska Electric Association that the commission should pursue the development of regulations to enforce unitization of the electric grid, a relatively small grid which is currently operated by six independent utilities.

With an Aug. 28 statutory deadline for the docket, an Alaska Electric Authority program which is pursuing similar objectives and legislation that would enable unification of the grid possibly in the offing, the commissioners said they thought that RCA action might conflict with what others were already doing and that trying to mandate grid unitization through regulation was unlikely to succeed.

“Seeing that there are efforts being made and seemingly great cooperation by the utilities, I’m going to recommend that we close this docket,” said Commissioner Anthony Price.

In September 2008, following an analysis of future options for generating, transmitting and distributing power in the Railbelt, AEA published a report recommending the formation of a Railbelt Electric Grid Authority for power generation and transmission, to achieve economies of scale and ensure a coordinated approach to future power supply arrangements. In March Gov. Sarah Palin introduced a bill in the state Legislature to form a corporation along the lines of the AEA recommendations. But the lawmakers did not pass the bill during the 2009 session, saying that the bill was introduced too late in the session for adequate consideration.

—Alan Bailey