Interior Gas Utility reports 79 approved hookups and seeks more grants to extend mains

Alina Sarath, general manager of Interior Gas Utility, gave the Committee of the Whole an update on IGU operations and funding on April 16, saying planning for the 2026 construction season is underway and that the utility is prioritizing customers who are ready to use natural gas.

Sarath said IGU has 79 service lines approved for construction and about two miles of mainline approved. The utility plans to continue using targeted air-shed grant funds for mainline extensions and to pursue additional grant opportunities, including the Defense Communities Infrastructure Program.

She told the assembly IGU expects six additional LNG trailers in August to support operations on the Dalton Highway, and said a recent $3 million congressional appropriation for air-quality work is now visible at EPA Region 10 although any specific program requirements have not yet been received. "We don't yet know what specific requirements we'll have, but that is an air quality appropriation," Sarath said.

Sarath also outlined community outreach plans including an excavation-safety lunch-and-learn to reduce third-party damage to buried facilities and reiterated that customers should "call 811 before you dig every time." During question-and-answer, Sarath said IGU did not experience interruptions to firm customers during the cold winter, that the targeted air-shed funds will prioritize areas with poor air quality (Woodsmoke Subdivision in North Pole was named as a target), and that contracts exist for liquefaction, trucking and minimum gas volumes should a spur to Fairbanks materialize.

She said the utility will present its budget to IGU's finance committee this month and the full board in May, with approval typically in June.