Energy

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

New rules may help small energy projects sell to the grid

New rules could make it possible to develop more alternative energy in Alaska, by making it easier for independent projects to sell their power to the grid. Download Audio

Kodiak Dedicates New Wind Turbines

The weather was appropriately windy on Friday in Kodiak when local and state dignitaries gathered for the official dedication of Kodiak Electric Association's...

Tesoro to buy Flint Hills assets in Anchorage, Fairbanks

Tesoro Corp. has announced that its Alaska affiliate will purchase a portion of Flint Hills Resources assets in Fairbanks and Anchorage.

More flood protection planned for Dalton Highway

The Alaska Department of Transportation is taking additional steps to protect the northern section of the highway that leads to North Slope oil fields.
Anchorage

Alaska lawmakers juggle late-session bills addressing Southcentral natural gas crunch

Bills to make storing gas easier, reduce royalties and spur new gas production, as well as energy transmission and renewable energy, are moving forward.

Volcano farts: Scientists look to gas for beta on atmosphere, geothermal resource

In September, a team of scientists crawled around the summit of seven volcanoes in the Aleutian Islands. They updated seismic sensors, replaced 8,000 pounds of batteries and visited one summit that geologists hadn't been to since the 1940s. Download Audio
a Hilcorp platform in Cook Inlet

Bill to provide free access to Cook Inlet seismic surveys moves forward

House Resources Committee chair Rep. Tom McKay, R-Anchorage, said he believes the proposal could spur more drilling.
the Willow project

ConocoPhillips says court case is likely do-or-die for Alaska’s Willow oil project

Willow would be the first large project constructed in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.

BLM approves drilling permit in Alaska petroleum reserve

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has approved a drilling permit that it says will open the way for the first oil and gas production from federal land in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. Download Audio

Experiment Harnesses Solar Wind

Jacob Resneck, KMXT – Kodiak A NASA experiment sent from the Kodiak Launch Complex and given up for lost has suddenly started functioning, exciting...
an oil facility in a remote, snowy area

Alaska regulators examine ConocoPhillips’ 2022 Alpine gas leak near Nuiqsut

ConocoPhillips says it now monitors well pressure more closely and would use more cement to reinforce its wells if needed.

U.S. Senate passes Murkowski’s energy modernization bill

The U.S. Senate this morning passed Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s energy modernization bill, by a vote of 85-12.
barges

Fall fuel barge makes its last Y-K Delta village visits before freeze-up

John Wagner with Northstar Gas said that the last of the villages, Nunapitchuk, will probably receive its fuel by the weekend.

Conoco advances project in NPR-A; Independents snap up North Slope leases

ConocoPhillips announced today (Nov. 18) that it will move ahead with construction of a $900 million project in the North Slope's National Petroleum Reserve. And small independent companies collectively spent $9.5 million for the right to drill on state land on the North Slope.
a building

Hilcorp fined $260K for missing well integrity test on Alaska’s North Slope

Thursday's penalty came two days after the oil company was fined $452,100 over unauthorized injections into Prudhoe Bay Unit oil pools.

Geothermal Energy Drawing Interest

A form of geothermal energy that's seldom tapped Alaska is drawing interest in Fairbanks and  some interior contractors are proving that "heat pump" technology...
a Hilcorp platform in Cook Inlet

Hilcorp to demo tidal tech from Cook Inlet platforms

Hilcorp is the latest company to consider a tidal energy project in Cook Inlet, which is home to some of the largest tides in the world.
a building

Alaska development authority signs contracts with ex-Dunleavy aides, paying up to $295/hour

Rex Rock and John Moller, both former rural affairs advisors to Gov. Mike Dunleavy, were hired by AIDEA through a competitive procurement process.

Study claims Exxon Valdez oil spill didn’t cause Prince William Sound fisheries crash

The study says wild red salmon are affected more by adult hatchery-raised pink salmon that compete with reds or eat them when they're small. And the research also says herring declines are more related to increased fresh water from melting glaciers, rather than oil inundation after the spill.

Murkowski field hearing highlights rural Alaska’s unique energy issues, solutions

When Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski chose Bethel for a field hearing of the Senate Energy Committee – which she chairs – she had a very specific point to make. Download Audio