HomeMy WebLinkAbout03112019 City Council Laydown - Railbelt Utilities /903/ k -d ,
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Railbelt utilities seek regulatory approval to form transmission
utility
Posted on February 25,2019
ANCHORAGE,Alaska-Four Railbelt utilities,Golden Valley Electric Association ("GVEA"),Anchorage
Municipal Light and Power("ML&P"),the City of Seward ("Seward") and Homer Electric Association
("HEA") have jointly submitted an application to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska ("RCA") for a
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to form a transmission-only utility in Alaska's Railbelt
region. Today's filing is the culmination of more than four years of voluntary work by the above parties
working in close collaboration with Chugach Electric Association ("Chugach") and Matanuska Electric
Association ("MEA"). The work to date has included an evaluation of how the formation of an Alaska
Railbelt Transmission company can provide overall benefits to consumers.The Railbelt utilities have
worked closely with American Transmission Co.,(ATC)a Wisconsin-based transmission-only utility
formed through a similar effort in 2001 in the Midwest.
Today's filing with the RCA establishes:
1) the need to form a transmission-only utility;
2) the interest of each utility participating in the formation;
3) a tariff that describes how transmission services will be provided to each of the existing Railbelt
utilities and other users of the system,including the allocation of costs;and
4) the ongoing responsibilities of the Railbelt's utilities to operate,maintain and invest in the
transmission system.
The next step in the application process is a determination by the RCA that the application is complete,
following which there is a 6-month review period prescribed for the Commission's decision.
The Railbelt utilities'application can be found on the RCA website.
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Anchorage Municipal Light&Power-ML&P provides electric utility service to commercial, university
and medical customers in the downtown and midtown business districts as well as industrial
Pliloads in the Ship Creek and port areas. In addition, it serves residential customers in some of
libAnchorage's oldest neighborhoods in its roughly 20-square-mile area.ML&P powers Joint
MLSP Base Elmendorf-Richardson and sells electricity to other Railbelt utilities. www.mlandp.com
Media contact:Julie Harris, I I,ai ri,,j,'oi nimil.uirr4 907-263-5423
Golden Valley Electric Association-GVEA is a member-owned cooperative that serves over 44,800
meters and maintains 3,260 miles of transmission and distribution lines in Interior
GVEAAlaska. Its system is interconnected with Fort Wainwright, Eielson AFB, Fort Greely,
Clear AFB, the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and all electric utilities in the Alaska
Railbelt, which extends from Homer,Alaska to Fairbanks. www.gvea.com
Media contact:Corinne Bradish,cabradisl gvea,com,907-451-5676
Homer Electric Association,Inc.-HEA is a member-owned electric cooperative that serves the western
fj/ Homer Electric Kenai Peninsula. The cooperative has over 33,000 meters on its system and
E.�1►.�Association, Inc. 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.coni
Media contact: Bruce Shelley,bshelley@homerelectric.com,907-283-2324
City of Seward Electric System-City of Seward runs its own electric utility and purchases power from
Chugach Electric Association and has backup generation capabilities.
10,5w
www.cityofseward.u.s
Media contact: Brenda Ballou,bballou@cityofseward.net,907-224-4045
414.ASM,C.
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American Transmission Co.-ATC is a Wisconsin-based utility that owns and operates the electric
4411t transmission system in portions of Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois.
Formed in 2001 as the nation's first multi-state transmission-only utility,ATC
has invested$4.5 billion to improve the adequacy and reliability of its
infrastructure.ATC now owns and operates$4.7 billion in assets,including more than 9,600 miles of
transmission lines and 554 substations. 12%of ATC's ownership is municipal and cooperative utilities,and
88%is investor-owned utilities. www.atcllc.com
Media contact: Anne Spaltholz,aspaltholz@atcllc.com (877-506-6117)