Energy

All Alaska energy news, including mining, oil and gas, green energy. (These stories are also categorized as “economy”.)

A big boxy building with a smokestack next to it sending up steam

Feds award $9M to research carbon capture for proposed Southcentral Alaska coal power plant

Carbon capture storage is drawing attention at the state level, though critics say it’s expensive and may not have a large impact on emissions.

Company eyeing new Cook Inlet oil defends tax credit program

A small company working to develop Cook Inlet's first new oil pool in years is urging policymakers to use restraint when considering changes to the state's controversial oil-tax credit program.
Gov. Bill Walker at a press conference in the Capitol, Oct. 23, 2015. He announced that he was dropping a proposed natural gas reserves tax from the special session agenda. (Photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)

With negotiations delayed, Administration proposes $7M cut to gas line budget

State officials have put a number on how much they will trim from next year’s budget for marketing liquefied natural gas from the proposed pipeline: $7 million. That’s the cut Governor Bill Walker’s administration will make to its budget request. It reduces the number of companies marketing gas to customers in Asia from three to one.

Anchorage business trying wind turbines

Susitna Energy systems employees mount the blade onto the turbine for the Partusch plumbing project. Photos by Len Anderson, KSKA - Anchorage Anchorage scored a...
solar panels

A bill to support community solar projects in Alaska appears close to becoming law

Community solar projects are small-scale solar farms that local ratepayers can buy into, in exchange for lower electricity bills.
Power transmission lines on poles in the foreground, with mountains in the distance.

Gas leak triggers chain of power outages spanning from Anchorage to the Mat-Su

Utilities say a 25-minute outage early Thursday at the Eklutna Generation Station triggered outages across the Railbelt to prevent a blackout.
solar panels

Alaska’s big shift to renewable energy appears stalled, as future access to natural gas in doubt

Reporter Nat Herz with the Northern Journal says efforts to craft a mandate for utilities to pursue renewable energy haven't gotten very far.

Record low snow totals for Fairbanks recorded in December, January

Fairbanks has been exceptionally dry over the last two months. A total of just 1.9 inches of snow fell at the airport in December and January, besting Fairbanks previous low mark for the two months set in the winter of 1952-53. Download Audio
the Willow project

U.N. rapporteurs and Patagonia take Willow opposition to new level

U.N. Human Rights Commission appointees want to file a brief in lawsuit over Arctic drilling project.

AVTEC Wind Turbine Provides Training Opportunity

There's a fresh breeze blowing in Seward, and this time it's turning the blades on a new wind turbine on the campus of the state's vocational training school.

University of Alaska report explores complex Alaska economy

The University of Alaska's Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) has just concluded a comprehensive study that looks beyond the usual factors that...
A view of Eklutna Lake.

Chugach Electric board election wraps up with renewable energy at the center

The election usually passes under the radar, but this year it’s been a fierce race, with nine candidates vying to guide the future of the electric utility.
Alaska News Nightly Trail Lake Moose Pass Alaska

Scientists use ice wedges to chart climate change in the Arctic

For years scientist have known permafrost can act as reliable gauge to chart climate change in the north. A new study in the journal Nature Geoscience reveals the wide extent and speed in which ice wedges are degrading and altering the landscape. Download Audio

Walker comfortable with Exxon statements on gas availability

Gov. Bill Walker says he's comfortable with statements made by Exxon Mobil Corp. that gas would be made available to a pipeline project the state is pursuing if the company was no longer involved in it.
a drilling rig

ConocoPhillips announces official go-ahead for huge Willow oil project in Alaska

Construction is already underway on the North Slope drilling project, which the company expects to create about 300 long-term jobs.

Shell’s Arctic Icebreaker Returns to Unalaska

Shell's Fennica icebreaker has returned to Alaska. It docked at Dutch Harbor on Tuesday evening after enduring repairs and protests in Portland, Oregon. Download Audio
a gas pump

Saudi Arabia cuts oil production again to shore up prices — this time on its own

Saudi Arabia will begin cutting oil production by 1 million barrels per day in July to support the "stability and balance of oil markets."

Shell rig back on grind after storm-induced hiatus

The president of Shell Oil Co. says exploratory drilling off Alaska's northwest coast is going well despite stormy weather last week that caused the company to halt operations for a few days. Download Audio
the Alaska State Capitol

Bill would extend state taxes to cover Hilcorp

Senate Bill 114 would extend income taxes to companies that aren't publicly traded — like Hilcorp, Cook Inlet’s dominant oil and gas producer.

Polar bear protections delayed oil exploration in the Arctic Refuge. A new study shows how companies can still move forward.

A new study says that by using infrared sensors to detect dens, and accepting strict limits on when to survey specific areas of the coastal plain, polar bear disturbance can be dramatically reduced – from as many as eight dens if no restrictions are abided by, to one or less using the most conservative approach.