Izzo resigns from Enstar Natural Gas

The president of Southcentral Alaska’s largest natural gas utility announced his resignation Sept. 8, saying he is looking for another job in the state’s energy industry.

Tony Izzo, 46, has resigned from Enstar Natural Gas Co. after leading the company as its chief executive for the past 5 1/2 years.

Izzo said he’ll hand over the reins Sept. 15 to Tom East, an executive of Port Huron, Mich.-based Semco Energy, which is Enstar’s parent company.

Izzo joined Enstar in 1999 as vice president of engineering and operations. He was named president in 2001.

Izzo, who lives in Anchorage with his wife and two daughters, said he plans to seek another job in Alaska’s energy industry, in either the private sector or state government.

He said he is interested in working on Cook Inlet’s flagging gas supplies, which have bumped up local natural gas prices.

“As CEO, I had to focus on all aspects of managing the business, and in some ways I felt limited in terms of my ability to do that,” Izzo said. “I’ve closed that chapter, and now I want to move on to focus on bigger issues, on the huge gas-supply issues we have over the long term.”

During his tenure, Izzo said, he spent a lot of time negotiating with Cook Inlet producer Marathon Oil Corp. on a deal to secure a long-term supply of gas. The Regulatory Commission of Alaska is still reviewing the contract.

Enstar serves 125,000 customers in Anchorage and the Mat-Su and on the Kenai Peninsula.

In documents filed with state regulators, Enstar said it had an operating profit of $17.4 million on $154.6 million in revenue last year.

Izzo said he has agreed to serve as a consultant while the company seeks a permanent replacement through the first three months of next year.

—The Associated Press