Homer Electric gets feasibility study permits
KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA - Homer Electric Association has been approved for permits to look into the feasibility of partnering with renewable energy company Wind Energy Alaska to bring low impact hydroelectric projects to the Kenai Peninsula.
Four sites are being evaluated. They are located in the Moose Pass/Seward area, Ptarmigan Lake, Falls Creek and Grant Lake.
"We're very excited to be moving forward with the project," said Joe Gallagher, HEA's public relations coordinator.
HEA has three years to evaluate the potential engineering, economic and environmental impact of the project on each site. Moving forward will depend on what each study reveals.
Each site is estimated to have a potential of producing five megawatts of power. According to Gallagher, HEA's total peak load for the peninsula is about 90 megawatts.
The project would produce electricity by using a stream's natural drop in elevation and diverting the water through a duct or pipe to generate electricity, said HEA's Melissa Carlin.
"The whole idea is to keep the impact (on the environment) as small as possible," said Steve Gilbert, manager of Alaska projects for enXco, a renewable energy company that co-owns Wind Energy Alaska.
The Friends of Cooper Landing, a nonprofit organization, is opposed to HEA's Crescent Lake project out of concerns for the area's Dolly Varden and grayling fisheries, as well as impacts on surrounding black bear and moose habitat.
Related News

Gaza’s sole electricity plant shuts down after running out of fuel
GAZA - The only electricity plant in the Gaza Strip shut down yesterday after running out of fuel banned from entering the besieged enclave by the Israeli occupation, Gaza Electricity Distribution Company announced.
“The power plant has shut down completely,” the company said in a brief statement.
Israel banned fuel imports into Gaza as part of punitive measures over the launching incendiary balloons from the Strip.
On Sunday, GEDCO warned that the industrial fuel for the electricity plant would run out on Tuesday morning.
Since 2007, the Gaza Strip suffered under a crippling Israeli blockade that has deprived its roughly two million inhabitants of…