The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the 14 remaining study plans included in Alaska Energy Authority’s (AEA) Susitna-Watana Hydro Revised Study Plan. Thirteen plans were approved with modifications and one was approved as filed.
AEA submitted its Revised Study Plan in December, including 58 studies to be conducted during the next two years to prepare for a license application. The proposed study area includes 186,000 acres along the Susitna River.
FERC approved 44 of the study plans in February but delayed its decision on the others until additional information could be provided by AEA. The Susitna-Watana Hydro team worked with other regulatory agencies and stakeholders to gather and submit the requested information in advance of FERC’s Apr. 1 determination schedule.
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The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the 14 remaining study plans included in Alaska Energy Authority’s (AEA) Susitna-Watana Hydro Revised Study Plan. Thirteen plans were approved with modifications and one was approved as filed.
AEA submitted its Revised Study Plan in December, including 58 studies to be conducted during the next two years to prepare for a license application. The proposed study area includes 186,000 acres along the Susitna River.
FERC approved 44 of the study plans in February but delayed its decision on the others until additional information could be provided by AEA. The Susitna-Watana Hydro team worked with other regulatory agencies and stakeholders to gather and submit the requested information in advance of FERC’s Apr. 1 determination schedule.
“AEA remains confident in the Susitna-Watana Hydro Revised Study Plan,” said Wayne Dyok, project manager. “These approvals come after an intensive, year-long effort by over a hundred individuals, dozens of agencies and a variety of stakeholders.”
AEA will continue to fine-tune individual study plans as project teams prepare for a busy 2013 field season.
An approved study plan is an essential part of the FERC licensing process. The project team will also use data collected from 18 early studies conducted in 2012, more than five years of fish management studies from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and more than 3,000 documents from studies completed during the 1980s.
As planned, Susitna-Watana Hydro will supply more than half of the electricity needed to power homes and businesses from Fairbanks to Homer. The project is a significant part of the state’s renewable energy goal, which calls for 50 percent of Alaska’s electricity to come from renewable sources by 2025. AEA hopes to bring Susitna-Watana Hydro online by 2024.
AEA is a public corporation of the state whose mission is to reduce the cost of energy in Alaska. Susitna-Watana Hydro will provide reliable, renewable energy for Alaska. More information can be found at www.akenergyauthority.org.
