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Railbelt utilities making progress on development of transmission business plan

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Railbelt utilities have jointly submitted a report to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska summarizing continued progress on their voluntary efforts toward evaluating how the formation of an Alaska Railbelt Transco can provide overall benefits to the Railbelt. The Railbelt utilities continue to work with American Transmission Co., a Wisconsin-based transmission-only utility formed through a similar effort in 2001 in the Midwest.

The update to the RCA is the second this year and outlines progress made on both the economic analysis and a business plan for potentially transitioning from a network of separately operated transmission assets to an organization whereby the operation, maintenance and upgrades of this network are accomplished by an Alaska Railbelt transmission company. The analysis will continue into 2016. The concept requires approval by the governing bodies of the participating utilities.

The Railbelt utilities’ year-end transmission report can be found on the RCA website.

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ML&PAnchorage Municipal Light & PowerML&P provides electric utility service to commercial, university and medical customers in the downtown and midtown business districts as well as industrial loads in the Ship Creek and port areas. In addition, it serves residential customers in some of Anchorage’s oldest neighborhoods in its roughly 20-square-mile area. ML&P powers Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and sells electricity to other Railbelt utilities. www.mlandp.com

Media contact: Julie Harris, HarrisJA@muni.org, 907-263-5423

ChugachChugach Electric Association, Inc. – Chugach provides power to Railbelt Alaskans through retail, wholesale and economy energy sales. Chugach operates 2,238 miles of energized line, including 539 miles of transmission lines. www.chugachelectric.com

Media contact: Phil Steyer, phil_steyer@chugachelectric.com, 907-762-4766

GVEAGolden Valley Electric Association – GVEA operates and maintains 3,202 miles of transmission and distribution lines and 34 substations in Interior Alaska. Its system is interconnected with Fort Wainwright, Eielson AFB, Fort Greely, the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and all electric utilities in the Alaska Railbelt, which extends from Homer, Alaska to Fairbanks. Peak load in 2014 was 201.6 megawatts. System peak of 223 MW was set in December 2007. www.gvea.com 

Media contact: Corinne Bradish, cabradish@gvea.com, 907-451-5676

HomerHomer Electric Association, Inc. – HEA is a member-owned electric cooperative that serves the western Kenai Peninsula. The cooperative has over 33,000 meters on its system and maintains 2,407 miles of energized lines. HEA owns and operates three generation plants on the Kenai Peninsula and its transmission services provide all Railbelt utilities access to low-cost energy. www.homerelectric.com

Media contact: Joe Gallagher, jgallagher@homerelectric.com, 907-283-2324

MEAMatanuska Electric Association – MEA is a member-owned cooperative that serves the Matanuska/Susitna and Eagle River/Chugiak areas. MEA serves over 61,000 meters through more than 4,200 miles of power lines. It was formed in 1941 and is Alaska’s oldest and second-largest electric co-op. www.mea.coop

Media contact: Julie Estey, julie.estey@mea.coop, 907-761-9215

SewardCity of Seward Electric System – City of Seward runs its own electric utility and purchases power from Chugach Electric Association and has backup generation capabilities. www.cityofseward.us

Media contact: Johanna Kinney, jkinney@cityofseward.net, 907-224-4045

 

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ATC is a Wisconsin-based company that moves energy along the regional electric grid in parts of Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois, serving more than 5 million electric consumers. We are experts at what we do: planning, maintaining, operating and protecting the grid. As the electric industry moves toward renewable generation sources, we are transforming our system to continue delivering energy reliably and safely. We proudly support STEM education programs that empower youth with the skills needed to succeed in tomorrow’s energy workforce. For more information, visit www.atcllc.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X (Twitter).