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Transmission upgrade for Sterling to Quartz Creek system moves ahead
Alan Bailey for Petroleum News
Alaska Energy Authority projects to upgrade and modernize the electricity transmission line between Sterling and Quartz Creek on the Kenai Peninsula are moving ahead, Curtis Thayer, AEA executive director, told the AEA board on Oct. 22. The first project of a four-project exercise will be conducted from January to March of 2025. This first project will upgrade the line between the Sterling Substation and the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, according to a white paper published by AEA.
The transmission line, referred to as the SSQ line, is owned by AEA and forms part of a key transmission linkage between the Kenai Peninsula electrical system and the Anchorage region on the Alaska Railbelt. In particular, the line is used to transmit power from the Bradley Lake hydroelectric power generation system in the southern Kenai Peninsula to the central and northern sectors of the Railbelt electrical system.
But the current transmission line is 50 years old and has relatively low capacity. The upgrade will increase the voltage rating from 115 kV to 230 kV.
Winter work schedule The work has to be conducted during the winter, when wetlands that the line crosses are frozen and the vegetation is protected by the snow pack. AEA plans to conduct the upgrade work each winter through to the winter of 2028. The transmission line will continue to operate at 115 kV until the complete transmission line has been upgraded -- Anchorage based Chugach Electric Association is making similar improvements to its sector of the line between the Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage. Chugach Electric is also conducting the design work, procurement and oversight for AEA's Sterling to Quartz Creek upgrades, AEA has said. Chugach Electric and AEA are coordinating downtime of the transmission line, as the upgrade projects progress, Thayer commented.
Bradley Lake power Thayer said that a reason for extending the upgrades over five years is to enable the management of the power output from Bradley Lake. Much of this power is transmitted north from the Kenai Peninsula. However, in the coming winter AEA anticipates the transmission line to be out of action between Jan. 7 and March 21 as a consequence of the upgrade project. That is a concern because of upcoming gas deliverability issues for power generation, Thayer commented. AEA has said that the Railbelt electric utilities and Enstar Natural Gas Co. are meeting in October to discuss a potential gas shortage in January.
The contractor conducting the work has assured AEA that, if necessary, the transmission line could be brought back into service within 24 hours, to enable Bradley Lake power to be transmitted north, Thayer said.
--ALAN BAILEY
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