Today, Mayor Dan Sullivan (NGP Photo) invited CEOs of the major Southcentral Alaska energy utilities to join him for a public briefing on actions his Administration is taking to successfully confront any possible energy shortages during peak use periods.  Those ‘peak’ periods generally occur before and after the normal work day when Alaska’s winters are coldest and darkest.  That circumstance produces the biggest demand from business and residential customers for electric light and heat, and, for natural gas hot water and room heating.  Before and after work are generally the times in which much of the business heating and lighting demand is approaching full daily use and when citizens at home are washing clothes and dishes, taking showers, keeping room temperatures toasty and having many lights on around the house.

 

Sullivan explained that having become aware of how close Anchorage and Southcentral Alaska has come to not having sufficient energy in recent years, he wasn’t going to let a blackout occur, "…on my watch," without having prepared for such an event.  

 

Sullivan noted that he had put City Manager George Vakalis (NGP Photo) in charge of coordinating Municipal assets and utility activity.  Under Vakalis’ leadership, the Municipality has developed a detailed communication plan.  That plan involves news media and advertising and Internet based notices alerting the public to a general energy state characterized as green, yellow or red.  Each stage will involve volunteer steps citizens, businesses and utilities can take to assure that true shortages–blackouts–do not occur.  Part of the Municipality’s preparation, Sullivan reported, is to conduct a training exercise on October 21 between 6-8 p.m..  The training will involve citizens, businesses and utilities.

 

Sullivan said that the long-term plan would involve close coordination among the utilities, their biggest customers and the Municipality’s Emergency Operations Center.  As peak energy use periods approach along with diminishing gas pipeline pressure, the EOC will be notified and the calls for public, business and utility cooperation will swing into action.

 

The Mayor did an outstanding job from several perspectives: organizing his administration to deal with an energy shortage; communicating and coordinating with the affected utilities (i.e. Chugach Electric Association, Matanuska Electric Association, Homer Electric Association, Enstar Natural Gas, Municipal Light and Power, Golden Valley Electric Association and Seward’s Utility Department have all been involved); developing a public communication plan in coordination with the Emergency Operations Center; and, finally, rolling out the plan effectively via today’s news conference.

 

(In the spirit of full disclosure, regular readers here know that I have no Alaska clients or employers and I am a volunteer member of the Mayors Energy Task Force.)

Here are links to stories produced by other news media outlets: (Alaska Dispatch by Craig Medred, Alaska Daily Planet, KTVA by Matthew Simon).