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Utility director outlines plan to reduce power‑system risk as borough buys local generators
Summary
Utility Director Harper told the Petersburg Borough Assembly the community operates on a 'hydro‑first' model, reported limited diesel use, and said planned turbines and local generators should eliminate peak shaving for about a decade once online, while cautioning the system remains vulnerable to cable or SEPA outages.
Utility Director Harper told the Petersburg Borough Assembly on March 16 that the borough runs a “hydro‑first” system and is moving to shore up local generation to reduce reliance on diesel backup and on the regional hydro cable.
Harper said Petersburg’s supply comes primarily from SEPA hydro (Tai and Swan lakes), supplemented by the Blind Slough plant and a small diesel fleet kept as backup. "Our primary power comes from SEPA 100% hydro," Harper said, and the borough runs diesels only as a contingency. He showed two years of daily load data and said diesel engines ran in fewer than 3% of hours in 2025, with most diesel hours associated with scheduled maintenance, outages or brief peak‑shaving events.
The presentation detailed…
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