In-river power system test
The tribal Village of Igiugig and Ocean Renewable Power Co., or ORPC, are installing a test in-river generation turbine this summer in the Kvichak River that would be capable of generating 35 kilowatts of power from currents in the river. The company estimates the turbine should be able to generate power for 70 cents a kilowatt. That compares with the community’s current cost of 90 cents/kilowatt through diesel generation. Fuel for that must be flown into Igiugig in 3,000-gallon batches. If the turbine performs as expected a second turbine could lower costs. A pilot project demonstrated that an in-river turbine could operate without disturbing salmon, which are important in the region. Igiugig is on the western end of Lake IIliamna. The Kvichak River flows from there into Bristol Bay.

ORPC believes two in-river turbines operating would generate enough power to allow the village to limit its reliance on diesel to about four weeks a year. That would be in combination with other local renewable energy systems and a battery storage project the tribe is also working on.

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Cordova Electric Assoc. now has a 500 kw battery storage unit operational to provide emergency backup power. Cordova is now 70 percent hydro and 30 percents diesel.

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LNG imports to Inlet?

Marathon Oil’s plan to adapt the mothballed Kenai LNG export plant to handle imports of liquefied natural gas is being watched closely. The ability to import cheap foreign LNG will create a more competitive environment in the Cook Inlet gas market, which is now dominated by Hilcorp Energy