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Storm closes Fire Island wind farm; no damage reported
September 7, 2012 by Lisa Demer in Anchorage Daily News

Work on the Fire Island wind farm shut down during and after the storm, but the turbines didn't suffer any damage, said Jim Jager, spokesman for the developer, Cook Inlet Region Inc.

Also filed under [ Safety| Structural Failure]

Wind farm near Anchorage a landmark for renewable energy
August 12, 2012 by Lisa Demer in McClatchy Newspapers

But don't expect cheaper power ...Construction costs for the wind farm total about $65 million. Chugach agreed to buy the power at 9.7 cents per kilowatt hour, higher than the 6 cents per kilowatt hour Chugach pays on average. Fire Island will add a bit more than a dollar to the average residential monthly bill," he said.

Also filed under [ General]

Council postpones $4 million energy grant, rejects Fire Island wind
May 17, 2012 by Heidi Zemach in Seward City News

Council members said little, but apparently agreed with City Manager James Hunt, who said he was "very uncomfortable" with the proposal, and recommended that the council not do so. "We literally would be asking the citizens of Seward to write a blank check for participating in this project. I can't do that," Hunt said, adding, "It would increase our rate two fold, three fold, we have no idea."

Also filed under [ General]

Audit finds fault with Air Force Alaska wind turbine project
November 14, 2011 by Dan Joling in Anchorage Daily News

The Air Force in 2009, flush with economic stimulus money, awarded contracts for wind turbines at three other remote Alaska locations -- Cape Newenham and Cape Romanzof in southwest Alaska and Cape Lisburne in northwest Alaska -- at a cost of $4.7 million each. They have not been constructed. Stimulus money was supposed to go for "shovel ready" projects and the wind turbines were not, the audit said.

Also filed under [ General]

Alaska military wind project built in wrong spot, federal investigators report
October 7, 2011 by Dermot Cole in Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

The Inspector General of the Department of Defense has issued a report saying the projects have been poorly planned. One should be canceled and the other two need more work as they are facing $1 million cost overruns, the independent agency recommends.

Also filed under [ General| USA]

Regulators weigh Fire Island wind generation project
July 17, 2011 by Wesley Loy in Anchorage Daily News

Alaska utility regulators are weighing a proposed contract between the state's largest electric power company and a wind farm developer. The developer says a prompt decision is vital to allow construction to begin in time to qualify for key federal grants.

Also filed under [ General]

Fire Island wind power project moves closer to reality
June 15, 2011 by Rosemary Shinohara in Anchorage Daily News

The 11-turbine wind farm is one-third the size that CIRI hopes to build eventually. But at this point, Chugach is the only utility to sign on to buy Fire Island power, so CIRI created a scaled-back first phase, Jager said.

Also filed under [ General]

Wind farm struggles to sign up energy utilities
April 24, 2011 by Rosemary Shinohara in Anchorage Daily News

To make the integration seamless, ML&P wants CIRI to guarantee a certain amount of power in advance regardless of how strong the winds are. If the wind output falls short, ML&P wants CIRI to find an alternative energy source to make up the shortfall. "That doesn't work with wind ... That single item makes it unworkable."

Also filed under [ General]

Southcentral utilities wrestle with pricey power options
April 21, 2011 by Tim Bradner in Alaska Journal of Commerce

The Alaska Energy Authority estimates that a Watana hydro project could generate power for about 6 cents per kilowatt hour, but that assumes that construction costs would be $5 billion or less, and that the state would pay for half of that. Without the state subsidy, Watana power would cost more than 10 cents per kilowatt hour.

Also filed under [ Impact on Economy]

Assembly postpones decision on purchase of wind power
April 13, 2011 by Rosemary Shinohara in Anchorage Daily News

At the center of the controversy is a proposal by Cook Inlet Region Inc. to develop a wind project on Fire Island off Anchorage. Cook Inlet Region wants Municipal Light and Power to sign an agreement to purchase wind power. The company needs purchase agreements before it can go ahead.

Also filed under [ General]

City utilities offer for wind power critcized as low
April 1, 2011 by Rosemary Shinohara in Anchorage Daily News

Posey said the requirement that CIRI provide predictable power whether the wind blows the right speed or not is reasonable and ensures that ML&P customers don't pay extra, which they might have to do if the utility had to quickly replace expected wind power. Predicting exact amounts of power the Fire Island turbines would generate at any moment in the future isn't possible, said Schutt.

Also filed under [ General]

Golden Valley Electric Association hears wind power proposals; picks its own plan
February 28, 2011 by Jeff Richardson in Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Golden Valley Electric Association took another step toward building a major wind farm on Monday, when its board voted unanimously to push forward with the Eva Creek project near Healy. The GVEA board decided to go with the utility's own proposal, a 24.6 megawatt turbine farm that will be the biggest wind-power project in Alaska. Planners say it could be on line by the end of 2012.

Also filed under [ General]

Wind project faces deadline for stimulus cash
October 28, 2010 by Tim Bradner in Alaska Journal of Commerce

"We feel we've made the utilities a very attractive offer in terms of price, of 9.9 cents a kilowatt hour," said Ethan Schutt, CIRI's senior vice president for land and energy development. ...The capital cost for the total Fire Island project is estimated at about $180 million.

Also filed under [ General]

Deadline nears for Fire Island wind farm financing
September 8, 2010 in Anchorage Daily News

The Anchorage Daily News reports the Cook Inlet Region corporation needs to have contracts to sell the power to win a $44 million federal grant and line up other financing for the $162 million project. The deadline is the end of the year for the federal money.

Also filed under [ General]

2 Alaska refuges to get bird-friendly wind power
May 14, 2010 by Mary Pemberton in Daily News-Miner

Work is under way to install nearly a dozen odd-looking wind turbines at two remote Alaska refuges important to hundreds of thousands of migratory birds. The plan is to have the electricity-generating wind turbines at Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Cold Bay and Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge in King Salmon up and spinning by the end of summer.

Also filed under [ Impact on Wildlife| Impact on Birds]

Federal money could help build Healy wind farm
May 9, 2010 by Christopher Eshleman in Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Electric utility managers say it's a federal clean energy program that has them poised to build a big wind farm near Healy. The program would repay more than two-thirds of construction costs for a $93 million Eva Creek farm, Golden Valley Electric Association president Brian Newton said Friday.

Also filed under [ General]

Wind turbines damaged in storm
December 17, 2009 in KUCB News

The wind storm that knocked over the crane had similar negative effects on the local residential wind-powered electric generators. The storm, which blew at least 125 miles per hour, completely dislodged the helix shaped turbine that was installed on Haystack hill. The blades and shaft blew away and were later located by divers. The tower stayed up.

Also filed under [ Safety| Structural Failure]

Fire Island wind farm still on despite loss of partner
November 24, 2009 by Elizabeth Bluemink in Anchorage Daily News

Cook Inlet Region Inc. recently lost its key partner in the Fire Island wind project, but the company plans to spend millions to get the wind farm built and generating electricity in Anchorage by the end of 2011. Citing mismatched business goals as the reason for the split, the Anchorage Native corporation said that it and California-based EnXco, agreed to part ways in October. Until then, EnXco had been the developer of the 54-megawatt wind farm and CIRI's equity partner in the project.

Also filed under [ General]

Wind Power raises questions
July 28, 2009 by Naomi Klouda in Homer Tribune

If windmills go up on properties lining Kachemak Bay, they could destroy the view, two people testified at the Homer City Council meeting Monday night. An ordinance introduced at the meeting outlines guidelines for those who want to set up wind generation towers. At issue is whether, and under what specifications, the city will allow them. The measure is up for public testimony Aug. 10 and 24.

Also filed under [ Impact on Landscape| Impact on Views]

Governor backs off renewable energy support
February 22, 2009 by Pat Forgey in Southeast Alaska Mining

Gov. Sarah Palin has trimmed back her support for renewable energy in the face of declining oil revenues, but the Legislature is still pushing forward with last year's proposed projects. ...Palin budget director Karen Rehfeld said the governor was still committed to renewable energy, but with next year's budget likely to have a significant deficit at estimated oil prices, it wasn't a good idea to take money out of savings for new spending now.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies| Energy Policy]