Options for Wasilla powerlines not attractive

It’s been a busy month at Matanuska Electric Association. There’s been a power plant to build, outages to restore, clearing and maintenance to conduct, and members to take care of. In the midst of this business as usual, the MEA management team has been considering options to bring the core of Wasilla the power it needs after our appeal of the Planning Commission ruling requiring us to bury the lines was denied.

The city of Wasilla won the appeal, but what was the prize? Now the city is without the ability to bring in the power necessary to meet their needs and support the desired economic growth.

It is our duty to provide our members with both reliable and affordable power. This decision has put those two mandates at odds with each other.

MEA is considering its options, and each comes with resulting consequences for the businesses and residents of Wasilla. It is important that each of you are aware of these options and their tradeoffs.

Option 1 — Appeal to the Alaska Superior Court.

This is the next legal step in the process. However, an appeal will result in delays and significant expense for both MEA and the city of Wasilla. The likely outcome of a legal battle is that the decision will be remanded back to the Planning Commission, putting us right back at the starting point in a deeper hole. With this in mind, we have decided an appeal is not in the best interest of MEA members or the residents of Wasilla.

Option 2 — Bury the Lines.

This option was estimated to increase the price tag by $40 million last summer and is likely higher today. Those costs would be passed on to a small number of businesses and homeowners within the city limits, resulting in higher rates.

In addition, the upheaval caused by carving a car-length trench across roads, parking lots, schools and driveways, compounded by all the gas, water and communication utilities we would encounter along the way, should not be underestimated. Not only is this not in the best interest of Wasilla businesses and residents, nor our members, but it is not feasible considering our financial limitations and technical constraints.

Option 3 — Stop the Project.

What if we simply stopped the transmission lines at the Lazelle Substation just outside the city limits, so the lines did not impact the Wasilla view-shed? This is not a viable option either. To meet redundancy and capacity requirements, we need this project or demand will exceed safe system limits. During a cold snap in the winter of 2012-13, we came dangerously close to the system limits.

Why is that important? To prevent equipment or system failure, when Wasilla’s power needs reach a specific threshold, MEA will be forced to implement a ‘load-shed’ plan, which shuts off high-use feeders of commercial and residential members to reduce demand. It is, of course, a last-resort option, and its mere possibility along with the downsides of limiting power in Wasilla indicates the ‘Do nothing’ option is not one that should be pursued.

Option 4 — Re-route around Wasilla.

This option simply moves the transmission lines from the Parks Highway into neighborhoods and private properties. Depending on the route, this will either require taller towers on existing lines or permission from agencies, residents, schools, businesses and others as we dive into new right-of-way acquisition, delaying the project and increasing costs significantly. More importantly, it would have significant impact on our members’ homes and neighborhoods — not in anyone’s best interest.

Those are the options we are considering, and we are not satisfied with any of them.

Reliable, affordable energy is an essential service connecting our members and the entire region to a good quality of life and vibrant economy. Let’s make sure the right decision is made with our eyes wide open.

Joe Griffith is the general manager for Matanuska Electric Association.