AEA begins permitting process with FERC

The Alaska Energy Authority filed a preliminary permit application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the Susitna-Watana hydroelectric project in late October.

“The Alaska Energy Authority is in the preliminary stages of permitting and licensing for the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project,” AEA Executive Director Sara Fisher-Goad said in a statement.

The preliminary permit application gives AEA’s license application a priority under the Federal Power Act, while AEA continues to study the site and prepare to apply for a license, the agency said. AEA said it will file a preliminary application document with FERC on Dec. 29, identifying project details, resources and anticipated impacts, and establishing a framework for the application process.

Fisher-Goad said the preliminary application document “starts the clock on a series of milestones and required deadlines.” She said AEA had planned to file the preliminary application document in November, “but adjusted the schedule to allow more time to engage with State and Federal agencies before starting the formal licensing process.” The project was authorized by Senate Bill 42, introduced by the governor and unanimously passed by the Legislature earlier in the year. The hydroelectric project will be about halfway between Anchorage and Fairbanks and will create a 700-foot dam with a proposed power generation capacity of 600 megawatts.

The Alaska Energy Authority is a public corporation of the state whose mission is to reduce the cost of energy in Alaska.

—Petroleum News