Unplugging an Un-needed: a 2nd Kenai Electrical Intertie
Technology has eliminated the need for a second electrical intertie linking Anchorage with the Kenai Peninsula, yet Chugach Electric is trying to push ahead and use the $46.8 million in “free money” granted to it by the state in 1993. Research indicates the Intertie: is not needed and there are cost effective alternatives, is outdated due to fuel cell and other technologies reducing the need for centralized electric grids, is likely to fail with the risky undersea line under Turnagain Arm, would not provide power to communities cutoff from power by recent avalanches, risks potential harm to Turnagain arm and the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. AkPIRG continues to lobby and bring expert testimony to the legislature in order to reappropriate the intertie money.