Fairbanks Transmission Reliability
Transfers between the Fairbanks area either to or from the Anchorage/Kenai systems are currently limited to a single line. The second transmission line spanning the 171 miles between Healy and Anchorage will help prevent outages to Fairbanks and allow GVEA to access electrical and gas markets in the south-central system. The second line is also required in order to facilitate hydro-hydro optimization of existing and planned hydroelectric projects in the future.
The absence of a second transmission line between the areas precludes the contracting for firm power between the systems and precludes GVEA from contracting for known quantities of fuel or energy from the southern utilities including the sharing of capacity reserves across the Railbelt Grid. The addition of a second line between Anchorage and Fairbanks increases the amount of energy transferred between the areas from 75 MW of non-firm to 125 MW of firm power sales.
Lake Lorraine Substation
FY2014 request: $1.0M
This project includes the construction of the 230 kV substation near the confluence of Chugach’s 230 kV West Terminal and its Teeland Transmission lines. The substation would provide a termination point for the Lorraine – Douglas (Willow) transmission line(s). The substation includes an -85/+25 MVAr SVC at the station to control voltages on the 230 kV system during periods of low and high power transfer.
Total cost: $84.0M over 3 years.
Douglas Substation Expansion
FY2014 request: $3.5M
This project includes the construction of the 230 kV / 138 kV substation at the existing Douglas substation near Willow.
Total cost: $16.5M over 2 years.
Douglas Transmission Line
FY2014 request: $1.0M
This project includes the construction of a 42-mile, 230 kV double-circuit transmission line from Lake Lorraine substation to Douglas substation.
Total cost: $50.5M over 4 years.
Gold Creek Station
FY2014 request: $3.5M
This project includes the construction of a 230 kV (operated at 138 kV) substation near Gold Creek on the Alaska Intertie.
Total cost: $14.5M over 2 years.
Healy Station
FY2014 request: $1.0M
This project includes the construction of a 230 kV (operated at 138 kV) substation near Healy on the Alaska Intertie. Scope includes terminations for two 230 kV (operated at 138 kV) lines to Gold Creek, lines to GVEA’s Wilson substation and GVEA’s Gold Hill substation, lines to existing Healy plant and an SVC.
Total cost: $16.5M over 3 years.
Douglas – Healy Transmission Line
FY2014 request: $1.0M
This project includes the construction of a 171-mile, 230 kV (operated at 138 kV) transmission line from Douglas substation to Healy substation.
Total cost: $106.0M over 6-8 years.
Communication Infrastructure
FY2014 request: $1.0M
This project includes the development and installation of communication infrastructure between the Teeland, Lorraine, Douglas, Gold Creek and Healy substations. The communications will be used for high-speed protective relaying communications between control areas and control and monitoring of the substation equipment.
Total cost: $15.0M over 4 years.
Eklutna Hydroelectric Transmission System Upgrade
Eklutna Hydroelectric Transmission System Upgrade
Integral to the reliability of the transmission system serving Anchorage and the Mat-Su, this project includes the construction of a Fossil Creek substation on Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson (JBER). The project also removes the substation atop the Eklutna Hydroelectric facility powerhouse and repositions it to the parking lot west of the building, a location easier to maintain and adds necessary components to accommodate better control of power from the hydro facility and the new Eklutna Generation Station (EGS). The Fossil Creek substation is located near the existing Briggs Tap on the Eklutna – Anchorage Municipal Light & Power (ML&P) transmission line.
This request provides the scoping, preliminary and final design with some hardware for the Fossil Creek substation, as well as complete design and procurement of hardware for removal and repositioning of the current Eklutna hydro station.
Substations are absolutely essential to the entire Railbelt system to ensure control, power delivery, and protection of the grid. New substations are necessary in high-growth areas to provide power for the growing demand. This project serves a growing area in the Municipality of Anchorage (Eagle River, Birchwood, and Chugiak) and provides for economical delivery of EGS power to the grid.
Fuel Assurance
Fuel Assurance
FY2014 request: $8M
This project will encourage Cook Inlet infield development, onshore and offshore exploration, and market development through loan guarantees and/or capital investments. Additionally, this project will study adequacy of the Cook Inlet gas pipeline system to meet utility demands. It will also seek approval of a new export permit for LNG to maintain the Cook Inlet market. Alternative sources to Cook Inlet gas will be explored as well.
Total cost: $108.0M over 6-8 years.
Battle Creek Diversion Into Bradley Lake
Battle Creak Diversion
The Battle Creek Diversion is a project of the Alaska Energy Authority.
Diverting the Battle Creek watershed into Bradley Lake will add upwards of 35,000 MWh per year of energy to the Railbelt system. Energy from Bradley Lake is the least expensive, largest power supply on the Railbelt grid. This project would increase the availability of inexpensive power to Alaskans throughout the system. In addition, hydropower can help balance the fluctuations of variable power from potential renewable sources like wind and solar. The six utilities are the beneficiaries of the project and will pay for half of the project costs.
Unconstrain Bradley Lake Hydroelectric Project
The Bradley Hydroelectric Project has been constrained in its operation since its completion in 1991. The basic problem is the lack of an adequate transmission system to deliver the project’s energy from Kachemak Bay to Anchorage and Fairbanks. The only transmission line between Kenai and Anchorage is a 115 kV transmission line constructed in 1961 to deliver approximately 16 MW of power from the Cooper Lake hydroelectric project to Anchorage, and a similar 115 kV transmission line from Soldotna to the Cooper Lake area. The two lines have a combined length of 146 miles.
Without improvements to the electrical system between Anchorage and Kenai, the utilities will experience substantial cost increases in electrical line losses, lost generation capacity, and operating costs. The result will be an increase in energy costs to individuals and businesses served by these utilities.
ARCTEC recommends an improved transmission system between Anchorage and Kenai composed of improvements to portions of the existing Anchorage – Kenai transmission system combined with a new transmission line connecting the south central area’s 230 kV transmission system at Beluga to the Kenai’s 115 kV transmission system at Bernice Lake. The combination of these two projects results in the lowest overall cost as well as the most benefits and fewest constraints on the Bradley project.
$13.7M has been included in the Governor’s budget for these projects.
Beluga – Bernice Lake HVDC Intertie
This project includes the construction of two 100 MW High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) cables between the Beluga power plant in and the Bernice Lake
Power Plant on the Kenai Peninsula.
Total cost: $187M over 4 years.
25 MW BESS – Anchorage Area
This project includes the installation of a 25 MW / 14 mWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in the Anchorage area. This device will add stability to the system and provide a measure of “spin” to facilitate spooling-up alternative generation in the event of an outage.
Total cost: $30.2M over 3 years.
Bradley Lake – Soldotna 115 kV Transmission Line
This project includes the construction of a new 68 mile long, 115 kV transmission line from the Bradley Lake Power plant to a new substation near Homer Electric Association (HEA’s) existing Soldotna substation.
Total cost: $67.5M over 4 years.
Flexible Gas Storage – Anchorage Area
This project includes the installation of a 262 mWh gas storage facility at an Anchorage/Mat-Su area power plant. The gas storage includes storage tanks for compressed natural gas, compressor, compressor building and delivery system. This project will provide a gas supply to facilitate spooling-up additional generation should the line to Kenai suffer an outage.
Total cost: $18.2M over 2 years.
University – Dave’s Creek 230 kV Transmission Line Conversion
This project includes the conversion of 77 miles of existing 115 kV transmission line to 230 kV from Chugach Electric Association Dave’s Creek substation on the Kenai Peninsula to Chugach’s University substation in Anchorage. The project requires two separate phases: 1) the conversion of the line to 230 kV and 2) the conversion of the substations to 230 kV.
Total cost: $56.9M over 5 years.
University – Dave’s Creek 230 kV Substations & Compensation
This project includes the installation of reactive compensation at Dave’s Creek station and the conversion of substations at Dave’s Creek, Hope, Summit Lake, Portage, Girdwood and Indian stations to 230 kV. The project also includes the completion of the 230 kV bus at Chugach’s University substation. The project includes the installation of sectionalizing switches at each of the stations to allow remote sectionalizing of the transmission line.
Total cost: $32.2M over 3 years.