[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6279628,"mediaKeyId","2621784-2c384035b90c47cb4c79f3bfe02f1900","parentId",2621784,"title","Alaska Village Electric Cooperative seeks battery energy storage for Chevak microgrid to double diesel displacement","audioSeconds",1536,"startMs",5082000,"endMs",6618000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2621784-2c384035b90c47cb4c79f3bfe02f1900&start=5082&end=6618","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2621784-2c384035b90c47cb4c79f3bfe02f1900/thumbnail_5082000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6279628/Alaska/Alaska-Village-Electric-Cooperative-seeks-battery-energy-storage-for-Chevak-microgrid-to-double-diesel-displacement","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6279628-6bf2ab1137e5fa2e986cc65956d6a96c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770724919&Signature=KiR8p86ThdShC5KSf8RuM9uSRytB~R9Y0XZ7Aj7~ACWuY7HrUua6JB9HvESgRhbt1a~BXYYHVkcC8W87-cRNA7xEJWvFDWWip2~N1jQTw~pb-aGSBOzjzQYtBtMMM2jvYwWhy6vK2B5IzC1Y4Gkzm9doeuDzQPDvoQGP9RjN4HUMw46c0wJ9dNCOsD5WUrw5Fg3RrCZQz8pZaGLEvXaLZjCCUDQ-DHR21UBu3r2f0zIg19rzhUFR1qZlM4JY3Yyzdm0dd5DYyf5XQZ59a~ZykVqGIGQsW2Js1zDLsXokDan4nrob1ZUd94CDH1IPqRTNP2bEhkmdZIzDcwWrZnd9Vw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Alaska Legislature","date","2025-03-13T00:00:00Z","article","Bill Stam, president and CEO of Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, told the House Energy Committee on March 13 that AVEC seeks Renewable Energy Fund support for a battery energy storage system (BESS) at Chevak to pair with the community’s existing wind turbines and reduce diesel use.

Stam said AVEC serves 58 rural communities with more than 160 diesel generators and burns “over 9.5 million gallons of diesel fuel a year.” He told the committee that fuel dominates AVEC’s operating costs and that projects which increase the share of renewable generation and add energy storage can substantially reduce fuel consumption and maintenance costs.

Project purpose and benefits
AVEC presented the Chevak proposal as a BESS integrated with four existing wind turbines to smooth variable generation, create synthetic spinning reserve, allow AVEC to operate smaller, more efficient diesel units more of the time, and reduce the need to start larger diesel gensets. Stam said the community currently displaces roughly 20–25 percent of diesel with wind and that adding storage could raise displacement to about 40–50 percent. AVEC’s modeling (Homer) showed increased captured wind energy and opportunities for “diesel off” hours; Stam said an inverter‑based BESS could form the grid and, in some conditions, keep power on without an immediately running diesel unit.

Costs, permitting and schedule
Stam said AVEC has completed specifications and experience from three recent BESS projects (Stebbins, Shaktoolik, St. Mary’s) and expects categorical exclusion from NEPA for Chevak because work is located at the existing power plant site. He reported cost estimates had been escalated at least 25 percent since a 2023 application and that AVEC would seek additional funds from Department of Energy programs, Rural Utilities Service, Denali Commission and other federal sources in addition to any REF award. If funding were in hand by mid‑summer, Stam said AVEC could design and procure equipment in fall/winter and install and commission during the following year, with substantial commissioning and testing in the season after delivery.

Operational impacts
Stam told the committee that BESS benefits extend beyond fuel savings: improved power quality, fewer starts on large engines (reducing overhaul frequency and O&M), and the possibility of short periods with diesel units offline. He described system components (battery modules, battery management, inverters, controls, HVAC) and noted safety and thermal management considerations for lithium‑ion‑phosphate batteries.

Ending
Stam asked the committee to weigh the REF application alongside other rural projects, noting AVEC’s experience with earlier REF‑funded wind deployments and arguing the Chevak BESS would expand the value of existing renewable assets and reduce fuel costs and maintenance burdens.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","03/13/2025 01:00 PM House ENERGY","oneSentenceSummary","Bill Stam, president and CEO of Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, told the House Energy Committee that AVEC seeks Renewable Energy Fund support to install a battery energy storage system at Chevak that would pair with existing wind turbines and roughly double diesel displacement from about 20–25% to 40–50%.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature Alaska, Alaska","taxId",78559,"location","Alaska","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6279637,"Southeast Alaska Power Agency seeks funding to add generator at Tyee Lake to boost capacity",1330,563000,1893000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2621784-2c384035b90c47cb4c79f3bfe02f1900&start=563&end=1893","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2621784-2c384035b90c47cb4c79f3bfe02f1900/thumbnail_563000.jpg","/articles/6279637/Alaska/Southeast-Alaska-Power-Agency-seeks-funding-to-add-generator-at-Tyee-Lake-to-boost-capacity","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6279637-95b5e5a8e15be43830e0d52575ffc407/orig.mp4?Expires=1770724919&Signature=VeW52C0MV5l0kyEOR5ROYsYVsjwOpGEPEY67Wn0pifktqnn1r11S~FT9nke6UyfJVrrD~ymS2mojlygjpaoYT0XVryZL-Ot~Gqg95iriYdPYFEzo5xl-1kl0vKILywKTNbGZCAFRI278ljkZ5rvt0l-o7La6RqHnnUAdw3wLjjbAFu~~2F5qdOrfYh4HtsHt2MJ0p8N7N90OtkXb8elOhAnV0ZzIclPZeoNbnvhBDqJI47GneRPXcgilTWythK6I1ylc6Y1E3tCLeovDBiownnVZw2YkdjP3Bs-G7RhzAbcED07ycLDjzBXVQaYqu7svPIYBf5PlWF0tYC0SJrgmmw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Southeast Alaska Power Agency CEO Robert Seidman told the Alaska House Energy Committee on March 13 that SEPA plans to install a 12‑megawatt generator in an existing “skeleton bay” at the Tyee Lake powerhouse to raise the system’s peaking capacity from about 48 megawatts to roughly 60 megawatts.

The project, Seidman said, would increase the CIBA system’s peak capacity by about 25 percent and provide contingency and resiliency benefits so the system would not have to switch to diesel generation immediately if an existing unit fails.

Why it matters: SEPA presented the plan as a lower‑cost alternative to building a new hydro facility and said higher winter peaks driven by residential conversions from oil heat to electric heat pumps are shrinking the margin between available hydro peaking capacity and winter demand. Seidman told the committee the agency produced about 180 gigawatt‑hours per year on average but that peaking shortfalls in 2022 required diesel generation because monthly peak megawatts fell below system need.

Details and timeline
SEPA’s presentation said construction would primarily install a transformer at the existing substation and place a 12 MW generator in the Tyee Lake powerhouse skeleton bay. SEPA reported procurement and design milestones completed in late 2024 and early 2025, with bid responses due in March 2025, generator delivery targeted for June 2026, transformer delivery anticipated in mid‑2027, and full commissioning in December 2027, subject to equipment lead times.

Permitting status
Seidman said SEPA was designated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) as the non‑federal representative for stakeholder consultation in November 2024 and that stakeholder consultations in December 2024 produced written endorsements. He told the committee that SEPA received a second‑stage consultation waiver in January 2025 and had filed a final FERC application in February 2025; SEPA expects an expedited FERC approval in second or third quarter 2025.

Funding and economics
SEPA described a roughly $20 million project total. Funding sources described to the committee include a Department of Energy grant under a program Seidman referenced as the Inflation Reduction Act Section 247 (a $5 million award SEPA expects to be “thawed”), about $4 million recommended in last year’s Alaska Energy Authority legislative recommendation, potential federal investment tax credits (ITC), and SEPA reserves or forward‑funding accounts that have covered early design work. Seidman said $265,000 had been spent on switchgear design and $858,000 on generator/turbine design to date. He cautioned that most remaining upfront cash or bonds would likely come from ratepayers (reserves or bonding repaid through rates) if federal grant dollars do not materialize.

Questions from committee members probed whether ratepayer savings from household heat‑pump conversions could be captured to finance projects, and Seidman stressed that those residential savings accrue to customers and would only be collectible for system funding if rates were raised — a step he said could accelerate out‑migration by increasing basic energy costs. He also told the committee a board decision on whether to pause contracting was imminent because SEPA’s procurement award would trigger 20–30 percent down payments, and delaying the contract to await federal funds could push the schedule back about a year.

Context and implications
SEPA said Southeastern communities are converting heating from diesel fuel oil to electric heat (SEPA’s study found about 22 percent of homes converted since 2016), and that conversions plus possible port electrification and electric vehicles are increasing peak capacity needs faster than annual energy growth. SEPA estimated summer spill of unused hydro energy averages 20–30 GWh per year; converting heating load to electricity (about 3.7 million gallons of diesel equivalent) could shift roughly 36 GWh into usable electricity if delivered by additional generation capacity.

SEPA emphasized the Renewable Energy Fund’s leverage of federal grants and said the program historically displaced more than 100 million gallons of diesel statewide. Seidman closed by noting that fully funding the REF at $21 million on a ~$6.5 billion state budget would represent roughly 0.3 percent of that budget, an argument framed as the statewide economic benefit of avoided diesel expenditures.

Ending
SEPA asked the committee to consider the project’s timeline and funding uncertainties as the agency prepares a board recommendation; the presentation left unresolved whether the board would pause pending federal and state decisions and whether incremental ratepayer funding would be acceptable to support the upfront capital.","Southeast Alaska Power Agency CEO Robert Seidman told the Alaska House Energy Committee on March 13 that SEPA plans to install a 12‑megawatt generator in the existing Tyee Lake powerhouse skeleton bay to raise peaking capacity from about 48 megawatts to roughly 60 megawatts.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6279632,"Pedro Bay seeks REF match for Knutson Creek hydro to replace diesel for village of about 34",1303,3052000,4355000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2621784-2c384035b90c47cb4c79f3bfe02f1900&start=3052&end=4355","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2621784-2c384035b90c47cb4c79f3bfe02f1900/thumbnail_3052000.jpg","/articles/6279632/Alaska/Pedro-Bay-seeks-REF-match-for-Knutson-Creek-hydro-to-replace-diesel-for-village-of-about-34","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6279632-905e3b3fe7b37031f496ffb4617be71a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770724919&Signature=QgeOmQUsSvM7lbNWE12XA4dhbTt3I8NW87ShROj-IsP-iB9lw3K0E1nGD4UAohC7dCn9OGXuweeHsdi2H2m9JzZ6WrzsVIMgTIkJrBge8DiU1mHIvCnJHuk6VOfIq2xb0baE1bcRs3GypxPN~7IqPpkOdmWxoGijzC3tpSagfKBqzat2NkaZhngSYcuhgz8S4SAwlVvhhQr174Dcz8rvo8osmQwhE4NYm9Wvf9TovI6VssdnpWyBjElSpWHmcYDR0tEoCFNR-iXDdR16dJGpmSBcU8hLdspieuBTW5ic7cNkHnXyEQP~paAkm3p25WZ6u2~MU1dkt2ZwNMsPaBaA5w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","John Volke, administrator for the Pedro Bay Village Council, told the House Energy Committee on March 13 that his community of about 34 residents is pursuing the Knutson Creek run‑of‑river hydro project to reduce diesel imports, stabilize electric rates and help repopulate the village.

Volke said the proposed facility would divert up to 11.5 cubic feet per second through a 6,400‑foot penstock with roughly 205 feet of elevation drop to a roughly 25‑kilowatt powerhouse, meet about 96 percent of annual utility demand, and allow excess hydro output to support electric heating and limited load growth.

Why it matters: The village currently relies on diesel generation supplied almost entirely by air freight, Volke told the committee, burning roughly 24,000 gallons of diesel a year for electricity and facing high and volatile fuel prices. Pedro Bay’s administrator said fuel supply is vulnerable to weather and carrier availability; the community has explored barge options but generally depends on air deliveries.

Project details and status
Volke said reconnaissance, feasibility and design/permitting work has been underway for years: reconnaissance began in 1989, feasibility work occurred 2010–2013, and design and permitting extended from 2014 to 2022. He said the project is FERC non‑jurisdictional, and that the team collected seven years of fishery and hydrology studies with “tens of sockeye” using the project area, limiting mitigation needs. The overall capital cost on the presenter’s slides was about $7,982,000; the applicant asked for roughly $400,000 from the Alaska Renewable Energy Fund to cover the nonfederal match portion of federal funding applications.

Timeline and financing
Volke told the committee the applicant anticipates a two‑phase construction schedule and hoped to begin construction in 2026–2027 if funding is secured. He said the REF awards funded earlier studies and that the village has also applied to the Department of Energy and submitted a FY2026 congressionally directed spending request. Volke said the village expects the finished plant to be self‑sustaining in operation and to lower and stabilize electricity costs while creating local jobs and reducing diesel logistical risk.

Challenges and community priorities
Volke emphasized permitting delays are largely behind the project but noted ongoing O&M costs would be borne by ratepayers. He described Pedro Bay’s priorities as protecting subsistence resources, enhancing local economy and encouraging families to return to the village; the village council recently purchased a former school building for community use. Volke said that while solar or wind were easier to deploy, hydro gives greater diesel displacement and a multi‑decade asset life.

Ending
Volke asked the committee to consider Pedro Bay’s REF request as part of a broader portfolio of small rural hydro projects, saying the village hoped federal and state match would become available so construction could proceed.","Pedro Bay Village Council administrator said the Knutson Creek run‑of‑river hydro would supply roughly 96% of village utility demand, displace about 24,000 gallons of diesel generation fuel per year, and is seeking about $400,000 from the Renewable Energy Fund as nonfederal match toward an estimated $7.98 million capital cost.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Alaska Village Electric Cooperative seeks battery energy storage for Chevak microgrid to double diesel displacement

Southeast Alaska Power Agency seeks funding to add generator at Tyee Lake to boost capacity

Pedro Bay seeks REF match for Knutson Creek hydro to replace diesel for village of about 34