RCA orders filing of board resolutions

Alan Bailey

Petroleum News

The Regulatory Commission of Alaska has ordered Railbelt electricity utilities that have not already done so to file by Nov. 9 copies of board resolutions authorizing the formation of a Railbelt Reliability Council and of a regional transmission company for the Alaska Railbelt electricity grid. The order follows a request during the commission’s Oct. 24 public meeting that the utilities file these resolutions with the commission. So far Chugach Electric Association, Golden Valley Electric Association and Homer Electric Association have filed resolutions, but Matanuska Electric Association, Municipal Light & Power and the City of Seward have not yet done so, the commission said.

The commission has also ordered the six Railbelt utilities to file reports by Nov. 21 with data regarding economy energy and spin transactions for the summers of 2017 and 2018. This type of reporting had also been discussed during the Oct. 24 meeting. Economy energy transactions relate to the interchange of relatively low-cost power between the utilities, while spin transactions relate to the provision between the utilities of spinning reserves, reserve power used to maintain the continuity of electricity supplies.

The commission has been encouraging voluntary efforts by the utilities towards a more unified approach to the operation of the Railbelt electrical system and is gearing up for the preparation of a report on the topic to be submitted to the state Legislature around the turn of the year.

- ALAN BAILEY