Alaska Energy Transparency Project

The Regulatory Commission of AK is reviewing its rules on how public notice is given for utility rate/service changes. The current system relies primarily on newspaper notices. They are accepting comments until Nov. 6. More information at akenergytransparency.org/news/rca-consi…

AETP looks at two energy bills that passed the Alaska Legislature in May--SB 152 (Community Solar) and HB 273 (Green Bank) and what they mean for Alaskans. akenergytransparency.org/news/legislatu… #AKLeg #CommunitySolar #GreenBank

GVEA members--voting in GVEA's board election closes 5 p.m. Tuesday June 4. Members in Districts 4 and 7 are electing directors; all members are voting on proposed bylaw changes. Details at akenergytransparency.org/elections/voti… or gvea.com/about-us/board…

This is a bright day for Alaska! The Alaska House has passed SB152 (SAVE Act) which will allow renters, low income folks & others to invest in community solar & save money on their electric bills. Avg national bill savings is 10%! The bill now heads to the Governor's desk.

Voting in the CEA board election ends Friday. Electronic voting ends Friday at 3 pm; in-person voting at the Annual Meeting starts at 5 pm Friday (meeting starts at 6). 2 directors will be elected; there are also 2 sets of bylaw changes on the ballot. chugachelectric.com/media/annual-m…

Legislators want to base the management of a proposed Railbelt Regional Transmission Organization on the committee that runs Bradley Lake. AETP looks at the strengths and weaknesses of the Bradley model, including possible accountability issues. akenergytransparency.org/news/40pj43cwm…

Voting opens today in GVEA's 2024 election. Members in Districts 4 and 7 will elect directors; all members are being asked to approve an extensive revision of GVEA's Bylaws. Information on candidates, the proposed bylaw changes, and how to vote is at: akenergytransparency.org/elections/voti…

MEA members--electronic voting ends 5 p.m. today. You can also vote at the Annual Meeting tomorrow (3 p.m. at the Glenn Massay Theater in Palmer). Electronic voting in the HEA election ends Wed. 5/1 at 5 p.m.

GVEA members--the Member Event and Annual Meeting are tonight at Herring Auditorium (Lathrop High). Member event starts at 5, meeting at 6:30. Members can also watch on-line or phone in--for details see gvea.com/about-us/annua… And voting in the GVEA board election starts May 3!

AKPIRG celebrates the passage of SB 152, the SAVE Act, from the Alaska State Senate on Earth Day, April 22. We now call on the House of Representatives to support the swift passage of this bill this session. #akleg #akgov

Board elections are underway at HEA and MEA, and voting starts at CEA on April 17. For information on candidates, proposed bylaw changes, and how to vote, see this AETP article. Replies to AETP candidate questionnaires will be posted as they are received. akenergytransparency.org/elections/elec…

Matanuska Electric is hold a board candidate forum on Zoom today at 2 p.m. Members can hear from candidates for the Susitna East and Susitna West Districts. Voting in MEA's board election opened on April 4 and runs through April 30. mea.coop/news/mea-distr…

Railbelt electric cooperatives are gearing up for board elections. There is still time for interested members at HEA, CEA, and GVEA to petition to run for the board. Voting will begin at HEA and MEA at the end of March, CEA in mid-April, GVEA tba. akenergytransparency.org/elections/coop…

AETP is publishing a series of articles on energy bills before the #AKLeg--first up, HB 154/SB 125 which would create a Green Bank for Alaska. AETP also has a Green Bank Explainer on its Resource page. Coming soon--pieces on the RPS and Community Solar. akenergytransparency.org/news/legislati…

PLEASE DO NOT cut trees out of power lines. It is VERY DANGEROUS for people to try to cut trees out of the power lines when you are not trained. We will get to them as soon as we can.

Both CEA and HEA are reporting numerous outages due to high winds. CEA customers can report outages at 907-762-7888; HEA at 1-888-868-8243. You can also report outages or check status on both utilities’ websites. Crews are working to restore power.

AETP has the latest details on Seward's on-going attempt to sell its electric utility to Homer Electric, including sale terms, the proposition to reduce the threshold for voter approval, and what happened before the May election. akenergytransparency.org/news/seward-el…

A reminder for CEA members--Friday at 5 is the deadline to comment to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska on CEA's proposed new base rates. See CEA's Rate Case website chugachelectric.com/rate-case and AETP's story on the proposed rates at akenergytransparency.org/news/chugach-e… for more info.

Questions about Chugach Electric’s proposed new rates? AETP has answers, including how the proposed rates will impact Anchorage consumers and what they will and will not do. akenergytransparency.org/news/chugach-e…

#AETP will provide additional coverage of this story in the coming weeks.

At the same time the Seward Council also voted to put a 2nd Proposition on the October ballot that would reduce the threshold to approve a sale from 60% to a simple majority. If passed, this would apply to the October vote on selling the Electric Department.

Seward City Council voted last night to put the sale of its municipal electric utility to Homer Electric before voters again on October 3. 58.5% of voters voted in favor of the sale in May, falling just short of the required 60 threshold. Terms of Homer’s offer will be the same.