Electric Co-op Today

Co-op consumer-members in a remote Alaskan community can look forward to more reliable electricity service and improved energy security following construction of a new multi-faceted energy project.

Co-op owned Amalgamated Power Generation Station serves co-op consumer-members in the village of Chevak, Alaska. (Photo By: AVEC)

The nearly $18 million project, financed through a combination of state and federal funds and investment capital from Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, was dedicated in the small village of Chevak, Aug. 2.

Besides modernization of diesel generation equipment and the addition of 400 kilowatts of wind generation capacity, it also includes bulk tank farm storage for gasoline and diesel fuel, considered vital to the community.

“We have been working on this facility since 2006,” said Meera Kohler, AVEC president and CEO. “The Denali Commission, primary funder of the project, has been a tremendous partner of AVEC and is very supportive of our efforts to reduce high energy costs in rural Alaska.”

The co-op has worked with the independent federal agency, which helps develop Alaska’s infrastructure, on several energy projects. The 811,000 gallons of tank farm capacity constructed at Chevak is the largest upgrade ever undertaken through the co-op’s partnership with the commission.

Equipment and materials for the new site had to be shipped in and installed over three short construction seasons because of limited access by barge at the community’s remote location.

AVEC’s tank farm storage capacity is 310,000 gallons and the separate community tank farm storage capacity is 501,000 gallons, said Kohler. “Diesel fuel can be shipped and stored and the technology is very well known. There simply are no viable alternatives for power generation.”

The new Chevak Amalgamated Power Project replaced an aging, outdated facility. (Photo By: AVEC)

The three fuel-efficient diesel engines installed as part of the upgrade will provide 1.8 megawatts of generation capacity for the community’s nearly 850 residents. They also offer the backup capacity essential for reliable electricity to co-op members more than 500 miles away from AVEC’s Anchorage headquarters.

Four 100-kilowatt wind turbines, mounted on steel towers, are the latest in a series of wind projects AVEC has installed at several of its 48 prime diesel power plant sites.

“We are enthusiastic about the successes we have seen and hope that wind can play a meaningful role in many of our villages,” Kohler said.

Some of AVEC’s wind projects have reduced the co-op’s diesel fuel demand by more than 20 percent, but Kohler concedes the technology still has its limitations.

“Wind can only be expected to produce about 20 to 30 percent of a community’s annual electricity,” said Kohler. “Diesel will continue to be the workhorse for the foreseeable future.”

Tags: Power Plants, Renewable Energy