In 2010, the Alaska Legislature commissioned the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) to develop an Integrated Resource Plan for Southeast Alaska (SEIRP). As stated in the legislative record supporting the appropriation, the aim of this plan was to “evaluate existing and forecast loads, potential demand-side management, and new generation projects that can meet future load requirements.” A draft of the SEIRP was released in December 2011. While I recognize the considerable effort and expertise that went into the Draft SEIRP, I have concerns with some if its methods and findings.
Yesterday, I submitted a letter to AEA outlining those concerns. You can read that letter here.
In short, my comments focused on three specific concerns: the Draft SEIRP’s failure to develop a list of potential new energy projects in Southeast Alaska and a suggested timeline for construction and implementation; the general undervaluation of Southeast Alaska’s potential for economic growth and the ability of mining and other large industrial projects to play a role in the development of new energy projects; and the Draft SEIRP’s overly optimistic assessment of wood pellet heating as an answer to Southeast’s energy challenges.
I submitted that the SEIRP should be intensely reexamined and redrafted with the aim of producing a workable document – one that lays out a clear set of options for addressing the short- and long-term energy needs of Southeast and a plan for construction of new energy projects.
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