About the plant

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation issued the renewed Title V air permit for the Healy Power Plant on February 3, 2012. The renewal brings us one step closer to restarting the plant, but we suspect that legal and environmental challenges still lie ahead.

GVEA is working with state and federal regulators as well as environmental groups to avoid these hurdles. Also, GVEA must get approvals from our lenders and the Alaska Regulatory Commission before the purchase of HCCP from the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority can be finalized.

It’s important to remember that restarting HCCP will:

• Lower electric rates
• End costly litigation
• Put this $300 million state & federal asset to work

Restarting HCCP will also help diversify GVEA’s fuel mix moving us away from volatile and expensive oil. GVEA appreciates that our state and federal regulators are working with us to arrive at an amenable solution.

The purchase and restart of HCCP remains a top priority for Golden Valley to get to a less expensive long-term energy solution.

History

In 1989, the U.S. DOE’s Clean Coal Technology Program selected Healy as a demonstration plant to use experimental technology to burn waste coal. HCCP began burning coal in 1998 and generated power intermittently through 1999 in its testing phase. The plant was shut down in 2000. Talks between AIDEA and GVEA to resolve disputes were unsuccessful. In 2005, AIDEA filed a lawsuit against GVEA. Subsequent mediation did not result in resolution, but the entities agreed to terms for a sale, which when complete, will end litigation.

Construction funding

 Purchase funding

Timeline