Energy Planning In The Copper Valley

 

In recent years the increasingly high cost of energy has been devastating to rural Alaska. In spite of being an energy producing state, rural Alaskans pay some of the highest prices in the nation. As energy costs rise so does the cost of transportation, goods, and services. Here in the Copper Valley some of our neighbors are pulling up stakes and leaving because they can no longer afford to live here. If the current trend continues others may do the same. 

 

So what’s to be done? The Alaska Energy Authority’s Rural Energy Programs is responsible for helping rural communities reduce high-energy costs. AEA has recently begun contracting with organizations around the state to complete an energy plan for each region. The plans will document the energy needs of each community and identify strategies for reducing energy costs such as conservation measures, upgrading energy systems, using renewable resources and related projects that reduce energy costs. Regions will then be asked to rank their energy projects.

 

Copper Valley Development Association was recently awarded a contract to conduct the regional energy planning for the Copper Valley. As you might imagine, this is a tall order given that we have so many communities and limited staff. We are currently developing a database to identify the information we need to collect and are reviewing numerous documents to record data that already exists so we don’t recreate the wheel, but we will need help from the communities to ensure we document your need and everyone has a voice in the process. In the coming months we will be sending out surveys and visiting communities to document your needs and gather your input. Our goal is develop a unified plan from the Copper Valley that has regional support. We can only do that with your help. If you have questions about the planning process, please call Jason Hoke at 822-5001.

 A full list of projects and other energy initiatives in the Copper River Region can be found by clicking HERE. This spreasheet is updated periodically to show the most current information available on each project listed.