The lease for a proposed wind turbine farm at Shovel Creek has been launched for public remark by the Alaska Division of Pure Assets, with testimony due by 5 p.m. Jan. 29.
The applicant, Alaska Renewables, desires to lease as much as 450 acres inside an total 3,800-acre venture footprint over a 40-year interval.
Co-founded by engineers Andrew McDonnell and Matt Perkins, Alaska Renewables is one in all a handful of firms that responded to a request for {qualifications} from Golden Valley Electrical Affiliation to finally develop a wind power venture that might potential present electrical energy below an influence buy settlement.
GVEA set a objective below a strategic era plan adopted in June 2022 to ask for and develop a large-scale wind power plan. Its strategic plan additionally referred to as for buying extra electrical energy from Southcentral Alaska utilities, shut down its Healy Unit No. 2 energy plant by the top of 2024, and exchange its outdated battery power storage system (BESS).
The venture would come with between 25 and 63 wind generators that would generate between 100 and 210 megawatts of energy, relying on the venture’s scope. It will additionally embrace a brand new substation, transmission line extension and entry roads to the generators. The venture would additionally require area for as much as 5 meteorological towers on particular person parcels requiring one to 4 acres, a small upkeep facility and a BESS.
“The intention of our proposed venture is to satisfy the wants and objectives of GVEA and its member-owners, in addition to the broader Alaska grid,” the corporate said in its description. “This proposed venture is designed to allow GVEA’s transition to a lower-cost, extra dependable and extra environmentally pleasant power combine.”
The generators can be situated anyplace from 18 to 25 miles west of Fairbanks and sited alongside the crests between two and 13 miles to the west of Murphy Dome and the prevailing Murphy Dome Radar Station.
Throughout the course of a number of group engagement conferences, Perkins and McDonnell estimated the venture might price between $600 million and $800 million.
In keeping with the venture scope filed with the lease, Alaska Renewables has “consulted extensively with over a dozen main Alaska-based environmental, engineering, and building corporations to make sure the feasibility, low price, and low impression of this proposed venture.”
Whereas the venture proposes a 2026 and 2027 timeline, it “stays early on in its improvement, and vital work stays to totally consider its wind useful resource, advantages, impacts, design, sizing, and group acceptance, in addition to any mitigation measures that could be obligatory to reduce impacts and maximize the advantages for the group.”
In keeping with DNR’s preliminary determination, the land being thought-about for lease are categorised for habitat and public recreation-dispsered and the venture “is in line with the realm plans because the venture is for a public utility and is a common public profit.”
“The proposed venture is situated in an space with vital leisure use for a wide range of makes use of together with, however not restricted to, mountain climbing, snowboarding, searching, and motorized use,” the DNR draft settlement states. “Roads related to this venture will enhance entry alongside these ridgetops, permitting for elevated leisure alternatives.”
The draft doc additionally gives feedback from a number of companies, together with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s issues with birdlife equivalent to eagles, potential site visitors impacts alongside Murphy Dome and Outdated Murphy Dome Street through the building section.
Alaska DOT famous the potential impacts from building.
“Vehicles carrying windmill poles and different outsized masses could have bother negotiating turns, which might have short-term impacts on blocking intersections throughout improvement,” DOT said in its remark. “Lane closure permits and site visitors management could also be obligatory.”
DOT maintains Murphy Dome Street and DNR famous it was “unlikely the applicant will use Outdated Murphy Dome Street.”
DNR famous that Alaska Renewables has been conducting an intensive migratory fowl and wildlife examine and might want to acquire all obligatory permits from [Alaska Department of Fish and Game] and the USFWS.” The corporate would additionally require a DNR permitted fowl strike mitigation plan which is to be developed in session with ADF&G and USFWS.
To learn the proposed lease and supplemental paperwork, go to http://discover.alaska.gov/213611. Written testimony might be submitted to go to A.J. Wait a pure useful resource supervisor with DNR’s Division of Mining, Land, and Water, by mail or in individual on the Division of Pure Assets 3700 Airport Approach Fairbanks, Alaska 99709-4699 or by electronic mail at nro.lands@alaska.gov
