At Golden Valley Electric's March board meeting, the Board of Directors unanimously approved a motion for GVEA's management to finalize a natural gas fuel contract with Alaska Gasline Port Authority.  

"This is a great project that will help lower our members' electric bills by reducing the cooperative's cost of fuel to produce electricity," said Board Chairman Bill Nordmark. "There are built-in conditions to minimize any negative risks to our members." 

Golden Valley is the anchor-tenant in this 15-year fuel contract with AGPA. When finalized and the project is on-line in two years, GVEA anticipates saving nearly one million per month, in fuel costs. 

"This project will be a bridge until a natural gas pipeline is built down the road," said CEO & President Brian Newton. "It's a major step in helping GVEA kick our oil habit."  

Right of way maintenance foremen Alex Olesen bags lilac saplings for GVEA's 19th annual Free Tree Giveaway, May 2009. Photo by Carol Falcetta

Golden Valley Electric Association recently earned the Tree Line USA Award for the eighth consecutive year. Contributing factors are the co-op's popular Arbor Day Free Tree Giveaway and its right of way maintenance clearing program.  

Trees contacting power lines are the most frequent cause of outages. The most tangible benefit of the right of way maintenance crews' efforts for GVEA members is the 99.99 percent reliability of power in 2009.  

The Tree Line USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and recognizes utilities that meet three requirements: a program of quality tree care, annual worker training in quality tree care practices and a tree planting and public education program.  

To improve service and maintain reliability, Golden Valley Electric Association is planning to perform the following work as part of an extension to the co-op's 2008-2011 Construction Work Plan: 

• Construct a new distribution substation
• Upgrade one overhead distribution line
• Upgrade one overhead transmission line
• Construct new line extensions to provide service to approximately 800 new consumers.

 

The majority of these proposed projects are located on the floodplains of the Tanana and the Chena Rivers in and around Fairbanks.  

For more information, contact Steve Vorderbruggen at (907) 451-5656 or sjvorderbruggen@gvea.com.  

Competing against 43 member utilities, GVEA took home three communications awards in the Northwest Public Power Association's annual Excellence in Communication contest. 

The Crisis in the Interior and SNAP Corporate Sponsorship campaigns both took second in the Media/ad Campaign and Wild Card Groups respectively.  

Crisis in the Interior involved numerous public presentations to address the effects of skyrocketing oil prices, what GVEA is doing about it and how members can help.  

SNAP corporate sponsorships account for 23 percent of the $38,700 annual SNAP contributions. 

The series of catchy U Can Save TV ads that ran last winter took first place in the Media/ad Campaign. 

On September 30, Golden Valley Electric Association received notice that the Rural Utility Service, a division of the United State Department of Agriculture, had granted the co-op's loan request for $65,328,000. 

"We apply for a construction work plan loan similar to this one every four years," said Mike Wright, Vice President of Transmission and Distribution. "The money will finance system upgrades as well as ongoing expansion to keep up with area growth." 

Projects in the current construction work plan include constructing a new substation, replacing an existing substation, extending 167 miles of line to serve an additional 3,267 customers and updating the company's 16-year old radio system. No projects under this loan are related to the Healy Clean Coal Plant. 

"All of these improvements help increase Golden Valley's system reliability," commented Brian Newton, GVEA President & CEO. "We thank Senator Begich and his staff for their support. Without access to the USDA low interest loans, Golden Valley's electric rates would be much higher."  

For additional information, contact Corinne Bradish: cabradish@gvea.com or 907-451-5676 

On September 3, 2009, Golden Valley Electric Association came to agreement with Chugach Electric Association to purchase 20 megawatts of natural gas-fired economy energy over the next three months.  

"This is good news," said GVEA President and CEO Brian Newton. "Although the cost of the additional 20 megawatts is 25 percent more than we have paid for gas-fired power from Anchorage in the past, the agreement will save our members money. In fact, when compared to burning oil, it will save members about $5/month." 

Historically, Golden Valley has received up to 75 megawatts of electricity over the Intertie. For the past year, however, GVEA has only received 30 megawatts, including 15 megawatts from the Bradley Lake hydro electric plant. The new agreement with Chugach Electric increases this number by 20 to 50 megawatts, but still falls short of the norm. 

"The gas shortage in the Cook Inlet means we will receive less economy energy from Anchorage and must depend more heavily on local power generation. Local generation is costly because it requires burning expensive oil," said Brian. "The new agreement with Chugach will help lessen the anticipated December increase in Fuel and Purchased Power, but it doesn't solve the problem completely." 

"At GVEA, we are always looking for ways to lower energy costs and save our members money, especially during tough economic times. This agreement will provide our members some relief from high oil prices. Affordable electric rates are in all of our best interests," said Henri Dale, Power Systems Manager. 

For additional information, contact Corinne Bradish: cabradish@gvea.com or (907) 451-5676. 

Residents and businesses in the Old Steese, Steese Highway, Fox and Haystack/Hilltop areas can expect several brief outages this Saturday, September 26. 

Golden Valley Electric Association crews will be assisting Carlile Transportation Services move a large metal vessel from Fox up the Elliot Highway. This will require deenergizing sections of power line at 20 road crossings. Outages will begin at 8 a.m. and GVEA anticipates all power disruptions will be complete by 12 p.m. Members can expect each outage to last between 3 and 10 minutes.  

For additional information, contact Corinne Bradish: cabradish@gvea.com or (907) 451-5676.  

September 10, 2009 2:00 p.m. 

Residents and businesses in the Old Steese, Steese Highway, Fox and Haystack/Hilltop areas can expect several brief outages this Saturday, September 12.  

Golden Valley Electric Association crews will be assisting Carlile Transportation Services move a large metal vessel from Fairbanks up the Elliot Highway. This will require deenergizing sections of power line at 20 road crossings. Outages will begin at 8 a.m. on September 12. Members can expect each outage to last between 15 and 30 minutes. GVEA anticipates all power disruptions will be complete by 4 p.m.. 

For additional information, contact Corinne Bradish: (907) 451-5676 or cabradish@gvea.com.  

Tuesday night, six judges from GVEA's Member Advisory Committee counted ballots and certified election results for two seats on GVEA's board of directors. Ward Merdes was elected to District 4. In District 7, incumbent director Bill Nordmark was reelected.  

Ballots were mailed to all members residing in Districts 4 and 7 on May 8, 2009. Ballot return deadline was 5 p.m., June 9, 2009. A 10% return was required for a quorum per GVEA's bylaws.  

District 4 - the area east of the Old Steese Highway and north of the Chena River including Fox, Chatanika, Haystack/Hilltop, Chena Hot Springs Road, Gilmore Trail, Birch Hill, Island Homes and downtown Fairbanks, west to Lathrop Street. 

Ballots mailed: 6,464 Valid ballots returned: 1,105 - 17% Candidates: Bill Digan, incumbent 398 votes - 36% Van Lawrence 160 votes - 15% Ward Merdes 547 votes - 49% 

Digan, currently secretary of the board, served on GVEA's board since from 1985 to 1997 and was secretary of the board for those 12 years. Bill was re-elected to Golden Valley's Board in June 2003.  

Merdes is an attorney at Merdes & Merdes, P.C. 

District 7 - the areas of Nenana, Clear, Anderson, Healy, McKinley Village and Cantwell. 

Ballots mailed: 1,100 Valid ballots returned: 315 - 29% Candidates: Ken Eggleston 38 votes - 12% Marie Monroe 74 votes - 24% Bill Nordmark, incumbent 203 votes - 64% 

Nordmark, was appointed to the board in 1995 to fill a vacancy. He currently serves as chairman of the board.  

"U First" is the theme of this year's GVEA Annual Members' Meeting, and your co-op promises an entertaining and informative evening for members and their families. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 28 at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks.  

Registration begins at 6 p.m. Account holders or authorized voters on business accounts will receive a registration bonus choice: ? Receive a $15 credit applied to your membership account, ? Select a Smart Strip power strip (limited supply available), or ? Donate the $15 credit to GVEA's SNAP green power program Positive identification is required to register. 

From 6-7:30p.m., displays will be set up in the Pioneer Room. Members can: ? Watch a live 10,000-volt electrical safety demonstration ? Take a spin on GVEA's human-powered electric bicycle ? Learn energy saving tips from the Cold Climate Housing Research Center, PORTAL and UAF Cooperative Extension Service ? Visit with board of director candidates for Districts 4 and 7 

Kids won't want to miss the opportunity for a bucket truck ride, weather permitting.  

The business meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. President & CEO Brian Newton and the board of directors will update members on cooperative initiatives and projects. They will also discuss GVEA's purchase of the Healy Clean Coal Plant and announce academic scholarship winners. There will be a period for member comments.  

Door prizes will be drawn at the end of the meeting. GVEA will give away seven cash prizes at the close of the meeting: (4) $250 prizes, (2) $500 or (1) $1,000. Prize winners must be present to win. 

 

(Anchorage) - The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA) and Homer Electric Association, Inc. (HEA) have approved terms for the sale of Healy Clean Coal Project (HCCP) to GVEA (see January 9, 2009 HCCP Settlement Term Sheet which accompanies this Press Release). The action will result in agreements leading to the end of litigation and bring HCCP on-line for the maximum value and benefit to Railbelt electric consumers. 

Construction and testing of the experimental plant was completed in the 1990s with federal and state funding, including a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. HCCP has not been in operation since 2000. 

Under the terms approved by AIDEA, GVEA and HEA, the Healy Clean Coal Project will be sold to GVEA for $50 million. AIDEA will finance the sale at five percent interest and provide GVEA a $45 million line of credit at six and one-half percent for HCCP restart costs, both amortized over 25 years. Additionally, this agreement provides that HEA will purchase from GVEA half of the plant's energy and capacity starting in 2014.  

"Years of conflict have been set aside, and recent good-faith negotiations have produced a positive result for all concerned parties," said AIDEA Board Chairman Pat Galvin.  

"During the negotiations, AIDEA maintained four objectives," Galvin stated. "First, place HCCP on-line for the benefit of Alaskans. Second, negotiate an agreement for the sale of HCCP. Third, the sale price must be fair and reasonable to AIDEA and should not impact AIDEA's bond rating, financial health, or ability to execute its mission. Finally, retain good business relations with all parties. This historic agreement fulfills these objectives and brings years of dispute to an end. It is a good day for Alaska."  

"Homer Electric Association is fully supportive of the settlement terms," said HEA Board President Debbie Debnam. "The Healy Clean Coal Project will provide HEA with needed diversification of our fuel sources, and has the potential to produce much-needed low cost power for the Railbelt region." 

A trial between AIDEA and GVEA to resolve current litigation is scheduled to begin on June 1. Under the terms of the Settlement Term Sheet, the parties will postpone certain pre-trial activities until February 15 as work continues on more details of the sales transaction. Reaching agreement on these further details will lead to the trial's postponement. The trial will be dismissed when the transaction is complete. 

"This is excellent news for Interior electric consumers," said GVEA Board Chairman Bill Nordmark. "The GVEA Board responded to members' requests to take ownership of this plant and strengthen the local economy by using local coal resources." 

"The settlement terms benefit all the parties involved with the Healy Clean Coal Project. The members of Homer Electric Association and Golden Valley Electric Association will have access to economical, reliable power, and AIDEA will begin to see a return on its investment in the Healy Clean Coal Project," concluded HEA Board President Debbie Debnam.  

The Healy Power Plant set an output record in 2008 with 220,694 net megawatt-hours. Healy's previous record of 219,411 net MWH was set in 2005. This is fourth time in the last seven years the power plant has set a new production record.  

The record production level is attributed to 2008 being the first year in its 41 year history the Healy Power Plant did not schedule an outage for maintenance work. The recent move from a 12-month to an 18-month maintenance outage cycle made 2008 the first calendar year with no maintenance outage. For GVEA members, this couldn't have been better timing in terms of rates.  

"We were able to displace a maximum amount of more expensive oil-fired electricity with coal this way," explained Healy Plant Manager Dave Hoffman. "The next year without a planned outage will be 2011." 

The Healy Power Plant provides 25 megawatts of power to Interior residents and, along with the Bradley Lake Hydroelectric Plant, represents the co-op's lowest cost fuel sources.  

GVEA is looking for board of director applicants in Districts 4 and 7. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. January 15, 2009 to GVEA's Fairbanks office. Nominating committees for each district will review applications, conduct interviews and select those qualified to be placed on the ballot in May 2009. 

Golden Valley directors are responsible for establishing policies, providing strategic direction, hiring the CEO, providing a plan of succession, overseeing management and overseeing all major corporate functions. Directors are elected to the board by the members from the voting district and serve three-year terms. GVEA directors receive no compensation for their services, but receive meeting fees, travel expenses and optional health insurance. 

District 4 includes east of the Old Steese Highway and north of the Chena River including Fox, Chatanika, Haystack, Chena Hot Springs Road, Gilmore Trail, Birch Hill, Island Homes and downtown Fairbanks, west to Lathrop Street. District 7 covers Nenana, Clear, Anderson, Healy, McKinley Village and Cantwell.  

Information and a complete application packet can be found at http://www.gvea.org/about/board/election.php. 

GVEA's oldest power plant has ranked number five in the nation in the Electric Light and Power magazine's annual listing. In the past four years, the co-op's Healy Power Plant has listed number one twice, as well as third and fifth.  

"This achievement is solely attributable to the crew in Healy and the team approach they use to meet the challenges of running a 40-year old plant," said Vice President Power Supply Kate Lamal.  

Electric Light and Power's 2007 Operating Performance Rankings rated the nation's power plants on several criteria, including capacity factor, for which the coal-fired Healy Power Plant ranked fifth. A power plant's capacity factor is the plant's production compared to its rates ability. There are 451 coal-fired power plants nationwide. 

The Healy Power Plant provides 25 megawatts of power to Interior residents and, along with the Bradley Lake Hydroelectric Plant, represents the co-op's lowest cost fuel sources.  

Golden Valley Electric Association is introducing a new renewable energy program. The Experimental Renewable Resource Purchase Program, available for projects up to 2,000 kilowatts, has been created to further promote member-owned renewable resource generation and assist the co-op's efforts to meet its Green Power Pledge. 

In 2005, GVEA was the first utility in the state to offer the Sustainable Natural Alternative Power program, or SNAP, to promote renewable resource generation. Today, GVEA is again the first to offer a renewable energy program for facilities with ratings greater than the capacity allowable under the SNAP program, but less than what would affect GVEA utility system operations. 

"The new program, a recommendation from GVEA's Green Power Advisory Committee, will bridge the gap between a renewable resource facility providing power to GVEA under the terms of SNAP and large-scale renewable resource generation," said President & CEO Brian Newton. 

Program specifications include:

• Approved facility - an electric generation facility using water, biomass, geothermal, wind or solar
• Capacity - single project not to exceed 2,000 kilowatt nameplate capacity
• Pricing - choice of GVEA's avoided cost or a fixed contract rate
• Developer qualification - owner-operator must be a GVEA member-owner

 

Because of the considerable unknowns additional larger-scale renewable generation may introduce to an electrical transmission system, GVEA is initially making the program available to its members on a limited basis. Maximum program capacity is 12,000 kilowatts. 

"All utilities face challenges when integrating renewable generation into its utility system operations because it's an intermittent resource," said Vice President Power Supply Kate Lamal. "We're hopeful this program will yield useful data for managing such circumstances." 

Golden Valley Electric Association is a member-owned cooperative owning and operating five power plants that provide power to over 90,000 Interior residents. In 2005, GVEA became the first utility in the state to adopt a Green Power Pledge and to offer SNAP - its Sustainable Natural Alternative Power renewable energy program.  

Golden Valley Electric Association's President & CEO Brian Newton will present "Footrace to Affordable Energy" at the Delta Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, September 18. 

Newton's presentation will spotlight the cooperative's efforts to meet the challenges of rising energy costs as well a discussion on short to long-term energy solutions. GVEA's recently completed Cost of Service Study will also be presented. 

Following the Chamber meeting, the co-op's Vice President of Transmission and Distribution Mike Wright, will offer a tour of GVEA's Delta Power Plant. In 2006, GVEA moved this 300-ton power plant from Fairbanks to increase reliability in the Delta area. 

Golden Valley Electric Association members will be paying a bit less for power due to a decrease in the Fuel Adjustment Charge on electric bills. The new rate of .08113 per kilowatt-hour was effective September 2.  

The effect is a decrease of about $5.75 for the average residential bill of 750 kWh. 

The Fuel Adjustment is based on a combination of forecasted and actual power costs. It is a monthly charge on members' bills that is recalculated quarterly. 

"Members see oil prices dropping and often expect they'll see a lower electric bill immediately," said President & CEO Brian Newton. "While our ability to respond to market changes lags a bit, we're glad we have this mechanism that allows us to pass on the co-op's savings to our members."  

Golden Valley Electric Association members who missed the co-op's recent Membership Meetings can now view the Our Energy, Our Future for Interior Alaska presentation online. GVEA held meetings in Delta Junction, Fairbanks, Healy, Nenana and North Pole throughout July. Video from Healy's Membership Meeting is now online. 

GVEA's Our Energy, Our Future for Interior Alaska campaign aims to educate members about upcoming energy issues, including rates, methods of energy production and costs associated with that production. It is also a grassroots call to action, encouraging members to voice their opinions to state and local legislators.  

Members can learn more about Our Energy, Our Future for Interior Alaska on GVEA's website.  

Golden Valley Electric Association is providing fairgoers with the daily opportunity to win $200 worth of energy savings products at their booth in the Borealis Pavilion. The daily raffle includes a Home$ense energy audit, power strip with surge protection and a Kill A Watt energy use monitor. Members can also win a Ruralite Cookbook. 

Be sure to stop by and spin the Wheel of Power for a chance to win other prizes. GVEA's booth is located in the Borealis Pavilion and is open from noon to 10 p.m. until August 9.  

Golden Valley Electric Association held the first of several member meetings Monday night at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks. 

With over 70 members in attendance, Golden Valley management, including President and CEO Brian Newton, Vice President of Marketing and Member Services Dave Gardner, and Vice President of Transmission and Distribution Mike Wright, presented information on the cooperative's efforts to meet the challenges of rising energy costs. 

Member questions ranged from what GVEA is doing to bring the Healy Clean Coal Project power plant on line to what members can do to make their voices heard by state officials. 

Tuesday night GVEA presented the Our Energy, Our Future for Interior Alaska in Delta Junction. Members who missed either of these first two presentations still have several opportunities.  

On Thursday, July 24, GVEA will be presenting at the North Pole City Hall. Tuesday, July 29, they will be at the Tri-Valley Community Center in Healy. Finally, on Wednesday, July 30, they will be presenting at the Nenana Civic Center.  

Golden Valley Electric Association is slated to receive $212,000 in renewable energy grants from the Denali Commission and the Alaska Energy Authority. The co-op received four of 33 awards for renewable energy projects around the state. 

Two of the grants will be used to conduct feasibility studies of installing some type of hydroelectric project in the Nenana River near Healy, and the Gerstle River near Delta Junction.  

One grant will be used for engineering the Eva Creek wind project near Healy. GVEA has been evaluating the wind potential at this site for several years and has found a viable wind resource. The Eva Creek site can support a large wind project but the actual sizing of the project will be determined by how many of the Railbelt utilities want to participate.  

The fourth grant will be used to evaluate the feasibility of constructing and operating a solar thermal water heating system to be used by McKinley Village Lodge and Denali Education Center located near Denali National Park. 

Vice President for Power Supply Kate Lamal spearheaded Golden Valley's efforts.  

"These projects are part of our strategy to meet the goals of our green power pledge," said Brian Newton, GVEA president & CEO. "It's also good news for members as adding more renewable power decreases the Interior's dependence on oil-refined fuel sources."  

Golden Valley Electric Association members constructing homes this summer may qualify for the co-op's Builder$ense energy efficiency rebate program. 

Builder$ense is GVEA's electric energy efficiency residential rebate program for home builders who install electrical energy efficiency measures during construction. Improved efficiency in the areas of lighting, electric water heaters and vehicle plug-ins can save homeowners hundreds to thousands of dollars in electricity over the life time of a home. 

"Last year we provided over $63,000 in rebates," said GVEA's Energy Efficiency Specialist Todd Hoener. Over 90 rebates were issued with an average rebate of $670. 

More information on the Builder$ense program, and other Energy$ense programs, can be found at GVEA's website, or by calling 452-1151.  

The Golden Valley Electric Association members reelected all three incumbent directors via mail ballots that were opened and counted Tuesday evening. Nine judges from the co-op's Member Advisory Committee opened and counted the ballots and certified election results for the three seats. The co-op mailed ballots to all members residing in Districts 1, 2 and 3 on May 9, 2008. A 10 percent return was required for a quorum.  

Dan Osborne

District 1 - Ballots mailed: 5,156 Valid ballots returned: 576 - 11% Candidates: Dan Osborne 539 votes - 94% Roy Roehl 37 votes - 6%   Osborne was elected to the board in 1981 and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Board. He recently retired from the University of Alaska's Geophysical Institute. Roehl withdrew from the election for personal reasons.

 

Tom DeLong

District 2 - Ballots mailed: 5,973 Valid ballots returned: 1,357 - 23% Candidates: Frank Abegg 504 votes - 37% Tom DeLong 791 votes - 58% Lee Santoro 62 votes - 5%   DeLong was elected to GVEA's board in 2005 and works at ABR, Inc. Environmental Research & Services as the office/contracts manager.

 

Rick Schikora

District 3 - Ballots mailed: 6,109 Valid ballots returned: 774 - 13% Candidates: Ken Rydberg 375 votes - 48% Rick Schikora 399 votes - 52%   Schikora is a certified public accountant and partner at the accounting firm of Warwick and Schikora. He has been on GVEA's board since 1986 and currently serves as the board Treasurer.

 

More information on the voting districts and the candidates can be found at our 2008 Board Election web page.  

At 1:30pm today, Golden Valley experienced a system-wide outage. The cause of the outage is not yet determined, but it appears that it may be due to the loss of our North Pole Power Plant and loss of the Anchorage-Fairbanks Intertie. The outage caused GVEA to lose all customers and re-start local generation. GVEA's Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) was used and held up some of the system for as long as it could, but the outage was too widespread. Power was restored to all customers by 2:30pm. 

Golden Valley Electric Association is a member-owned cooperative owning and operating five power plants that provide power to over 90,000 Interior residents. In 2005, GVEA became the first utility in the state to adopt a Green Power Pledge and to offer SNAP - its Sustainable Natural Alternative Power green power program.  

GVEA President & CEO Brian Newton

Golden Valley Electric Association's President and CEO Brian Newton was awarded his Doctorate in Management on Sunday, May 18. He earned the degree from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland Ohio. 

"I've always been a non-traditional student; working and taking classes at the same time," Newton said. "I think there is great value in mixing education with work." 

Newton started working towards his degree three years ago, and hopes to begin teaching at the University of Alaska Fairbanks within the Masters of Business Administration program. 

"We're extremely proud of Brian for this remarkable achievement," said GVEA Board of Directors Chairman Bill Nordmark. 

Brian Newton filled the vacancy left by the retirement of Steve Haagenson in November 2007. Newton has a strong management background, including nine years as President and CEO of Consolidated Electric Cooperative in Mt. Gilead, Ohio and 11 years as the General Manager of North Central Public Power District in Creighton, Nebraska.  

Golden Valley would like to remind its members to "look up and live" while working around the home this summer. Each year, as spring and summer progress, people become more active outdoors increasing the risk of an electrical accident. 

At this time of year, landscape minded members may get out the chain saw and start clearing dead or unwanted trees. A tree in an energized power line can cause an outage and acts as a conductor of electricity and presents a potentially deadly situation. Last summer saw a number of trees into the lines and resulted in one fatality.  

The co-op continually works to remind members to be aware of power lines when performing maintenance and landscaping activities such as: 

• Mounting satellite dishes
• Clearing attic air vents
• Cleaning chimneys
• Clearing gutters
• Carrying ladders
• Repairing roofs
• Painting houses
• ...and removing or trimming trees.

 

Golden Valley has a right-of-way maintenance program that includes evaluating trees in danger of contacting power lines. While GVEA is responsible for maintaining clear rights of way, members are responsible for maintaining the service drop. If members have trees in the service drop or anywhere near GVEA facilities, the co-op recommends hiring a licensed contractor to remove them. Visit our Right-of-Way Maintenance Program web page and view the "Safety tips for tree removal and landscaping". For more information, contact GVEA's operations department at (907) 452-1151. 

Golden Valley Electric Association members are welcome to drop by the Fairbanks offices on Saturday, May 17 from 9 a.m. to noon to pick up a Canadian Red Choke Cherry tree. This is GVEA's 18th Annual Tree Giveaway. Quantities are limited; first-come, first served. 

The tree giveaway helps promote responsible planting. Choosing appropriate trees helps promote right of way maintenance and is an excellent way to observe Arbor Day. The Canadian Red Choke Cherry grows to a height of only 20 feet which will not interfere with power lines. 

Trees not only enhance our environment; they can also save you money on your electric bill. They do this by serving as windbreaks that can lower your winter heating bills and by providing shade to keep your house cooler in the summer. 

GVEA is proud to be recognized as a Tree Line USA Utility for the sixth year in a row. Tree Line USA is sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters. They recognize public and private utilities across the nation that demonstrate practices that protect and enhance America's urban forests. 

For more information about trees and GVEA's Right of Way Maintenance program, visit our ROW website. You'll be able to look up where we're clearing this summer and watch a video on safe landscaping and tree cutting.  

Golden Valley Electric Association members in Districts 1, 2 and 3 will have the opportunity to select their board representative when ballots are mailed on May 9. Ballots will be mailed to all members in the three districts. The return deadline is 5 p.m., June 10 to GVEA's Fairbanks office. Candidate bios and information can be found at GVEA's Board Election web page. 

District 1 candidates: Dan Osborne, incumbent and Roy Roehl, who has withdrawn.
District 2 candidates: Frank Abegg, Tom DeLong, incumbent, and Lee Santoro.
District 3 candidates: Ken Rydberg and Rick Schikora, incumbent. 

District 1 includes the general areas of College Road, the University of Alaska, Sheep Creek, Murphy Dome and Goldstream Roads, Farmers Loop, the Old Steese Highway, Graehl Townsite, Slater Subdivision and the Railroad Industrial Area. 

District 2 includes the general area south of College Road, Danby Street, Aurora Subdivision, Geist Road, University West, Chena Ridge, Goldhill Road, Ester and the Parks Highway.  

District 3 includes the area south of the Chena River (excluding downtown Fairbanks), the Airport, West and South Fairbanks, Van Horn Industrial Area, Richardson Highway, the west half of Badger Road and Lakloey, Dennis, Holmes and Bradway Roads.  

Golden Valley Electric Association prepared and served a four course Annual Members' Meeting to 1663 people in attendance last night. "At Your Service" was the theme and highlighted the many ways the cooperative is best serving its members. 

During the program, members heard about:

• The energy crisis facing residents in the Interior
• How GVEA met the 2007 goals of its Green Power Pledge
• Efforts GVEA is taking to help members use energy efficiently

 

Eight academic scholarships totaling $20,000 were awarded as follows:
One $10,000 University of Alaska academic: Katrina Nore
Two $2,000 academic: Katelyn McDonald and Aunna Wilson
One $1,000 academic: Crystal Baker
One $2,000 vocational: Janan Hunt
Three $1,000 continuing education: Jenny Bell-Jones, Shaun Sowell and Lucille Moore
 

Seven cash prizes, given away at the end of the meeting, went to:
Four $250 prizes: Yujane Chen, Harold Hume Jr., Anne Mauer and Carl Williams
Two $500 prizes: Nancy Shafer and Daniel Stosits
One $1,000 prize: Milford Sweat
 

Members who attended had a choice of registration bonuses: Nearly 1300 members chose the $15 credit, 336 chose the Kill A Watt energy usage monitor and 42 chose to donate their $15 credit to the SNAP program. Prior to the business meeting bucket truck rides gave kids a birds-eye view of the Chena River. Members also enjoyed a live 10,000-volt electrical safety demonstration, had the opportunity to chat with board members, and watched a cooking demonstration performed by Frank Eagle of Lavelle's Bistro.  

Video from the meeting will be posted on this website by the end of the week.  

A Golden Valley member speaks at the 2007 Annual Members' Meeting

"At Your Service" is the theme of this year's Golden Valley Electric Association Annual Members' Meeting, and your co-op promises an entertaining and informative evening for members and their families. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 29 at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks.  

Registration begins at 6 p.m. Account holders or authorized voters on business accounts will receive a registration bonus choice:

• Receive a $15 credit applied to your membership account,
• Select a Kill A Watt energy usage monitor (limited supply available), or
• Donate the $15 credit to GVEA's SNAP green power program

Positive identification is required to register. 

From 6-7:30p.m., displays will be set up in the Pioneer Room. Members can:

• Watch a live 10,000-volt electrical safety demonstration
• Receive a kite and safe flying tips - for kids only
• Take the GVEA's Biggest Loser Challenge (Hint: It's about shedding unwanted kilowatt-hours, not pounds)
• Chat with SNAP green power producers
• Sign up to win a free Home$ense residential energy audit
• Visit with board of director candidates for Districts 1, 2 and 3

 

Golden Valley is expanding activities this year. Kids won't want to miss the opportunity for a bucket truck ride, weather permitting. And in the auditorium, front row seats will be in demand for the live cooking demonstration by local restaurateur Frank Eagle. 

Interior Alaska Green Star will also be onsite collecting residential electronic waste including computers and fax machines, cell phones, TVs, VCR and DVD players. Items are recycled for a small fee to cover the cost of shipping and the recycling process. For a complete list of e-recyclable items and fees, visit www.iagreenstar.org. 

The business meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. President & CEO Brian Newton will update members on cooperative initiatives and projects. Newton will also discuss the energy crisis in the Interior, eight academic scholarship winners will be announced and there will be a period for member comments.  

Door prizes will be drawn at the end of the meeting. GVEA will give away seven cash prizes at the close of the meeting: (4) $250 prizes, (2) $500 or (1) $1,000. Prize winners must be present to win. 

Golden Valley Electric Association recently presented a check for $7,500 to Interior Alaska Green Star Inc. to support Green Star's efforts to promote the protection of public health and the environment through pollution prevention and energy efficiency in Interior Alaska. Pictured are, from left, GVEA Environmental Officer Kris Dubois, GVEA President & CEO Brian Newton and Green Star Executive Director Darcie Warden. GVEA was a founding sponsor of Alaska Green Star program which launched in 1995.  

Golden Valley Electric Association's newest power plant, the North Pole Expansion Power Plant, celebrates its first full year of commercial operation this year after coming online in March of 2007. 

"The plant is more efficient than the 30-year old North Pole units," said GVEA President & CEO Brian Newton. "For example, the new plant burns 3,500 gallons per hour to generate 60 megawatts (MW), while the older plant burns 4,300 gallons per hour to generate the same amount of power. In 2007, this saved members $16 million." 

The plant utilizes jet engine technology in the form of a 47 MW General Electric LM6000 combustion turbine. Waste heat from the exhaust stack makes steam to feed a steam turbine which produces an additional 13 MW of power.  

"The plant has proven to be extremely reliable," said Gas Turbine Plant Manager Lynn Thompson.  

Burning naphtha from the nearby Flint Hills refinery, the power plant produces one-tenth the emissions than plants burning less efficient fuels. Should natural gas make its way into the Interior, it would take a relatively simple retrofit and the plant would be able to utilize that, as well.  

Golden Valley Electric Association members in the Birch Hill and Chena Hot Springs area experienced an outage Sunday morning at 7:25 a.m. A faulty piece of underground equipment tripped off power to around 500 members. 

Some members had their power restored shortly after 9 a.m. after Golden Valley line crew repaired the damage. However a malfunctioning breaker at one of GVEA's substations led to a longer delay for around 380 members. This was repaired and all members were restored shortly after 1 p.m. 

Golden Valley Electric Association is a member-owned cooperative owning and operating five power plants that provide power to over 90,000 Interior residents. In 2005, GVEA became the first utility in the state to adopt a Green Power Pledge and to offer SNAP - its Sustainable Natural Alternative Power green power program.  

Golden Valley Electric Association recently passed the four year mark with no system-wide blackouts. The last blackout occurred on February 10, 2004.  

In that outage, a circuit in Healy tripped causing both the Healy Power Plant and the Intertie to go offline. This set into motion a cascade of outages across GVEA's service territory as GVEA's remaining generation plants struggled to meet demand. The North Pole Power Plant soon went offline, as well. 

A lot has changed in four years. The Battery Energy Storage System came fully online and the new North Pole Expansion Power Plant came online in 2007.  

"Since the 2004 blackout, we've implemented new maintenance procedures," notes Power Systems Manager Henri Dale. Among those are better tools for tracking faults in the system, which can help prevent occurrences such as the 2004 blackout.  

In 2007, GVEA maintained a reliability rating of 99.975 percent. On the average, members saw less than two and a half hours of outage time for the entire year.  

The Golden Valley Electric Association board has joined with Homer Electric Association and Chugach Electric Association by signing a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the costs and benefits of creating a unified power system, called a Unified Power Provider. The new entity would be responsible for providing transmission and generation services for the Railbelt area. 

"Cooperation among cooperatives is one of the seven cooperative principles and this action exemplifies that spirit," said GVEA Board Chairman Bill Nordmark. "Our goal in any venture is to provide our members with reliable power at the lowest possible cost." 

The Alaska Energy Policy Task Force report in 2004 recommended the creation of an organization to address the energy issues of the Railbelt. In addition, Golden Valley's board recognizes the value to GVEA, and to the consumers of the Railbelt as a whole, of planning and operating all Railbelt generation and transmission resources as a unified system. 

"What we hope to accomplish is to promote cooperation and collaboration," said GVEA President & CEO Brian Newton. "With rising oil prices and a looming gas shortage, we need to find ways of relieving the pressure on our members." 

A combined joint announcement from the three utilities will take place at Chugach Electric Association headquarters in Anchorage on Friday, February 22 at 11 a.m. 

Golden Valley Electric Association is looking for your best shot. GVEA is looking for your best photographs for the cover of Ruralite, the monthly rural electric magazine. 

Photos can include scenery, community events and community residents enjoying local activities from within GVEA's service territory. Winning photographers will receive a $100 award and photos will be used throughout the year as cover images for the Ruralite. Competition rules and entry forms can be found on GVEA's website. 

The deadline to submit photos is March 31 and all submissions should be made to Golden Valley Electric.  

Over 32,000 copies of the Ruralite are distributed throughout Interior Alaska each month, offering great exposure for local photographers, professional and amateur alike. GVEA's contest is open to all co-op members and their immediate family members - excluding GVEA employees and their families. 

GVEA held an internal competition late last year. Systems and Network Engineer Scott Chesney's photograph of sled dog mushers can be seen on the cover of this month's edition of the Ruralite.  

 

Golden Valley Electric Association is looking for volunteers for its Member Advisory Committee. The MAC, with up to five members from each of GVEA's seven districts, act as a sounding board for ideas between the Board of Directors and the general membership and serve two-year terms. 

MAC members meet the second Wednesday of the month, and receive an allowance of $45 plus 50.5 cents per mile for travel. The deadline to apply for the MAC is March 24. MAC members will be selected by lottery by the co-op's Board of Directors. 

Last year, the MAC reviewed a number of topics important to the membership of Golden Valley, including GVEA's renewable energy activities, the Co-op Connections Card, and rates. 

More information on the MAC can be found on GVEA's MAC website and includes the meeting dates for this year. 

Golden Valley Electric Association met the 2007 goals of its Green Power Pledge utilizing a combination of conservation, hydro-electric power and power contributed by SNAP producers. The Green Power Pledge, adopted by GVEA's Board of Directors in 2005, sought a goal of 10 percent of the peak system load being supplied by green power.  

The co-op's peak system load in 2007 was 223 megawatts, with over 22 megawatts supplied by green power. Hydroelectric was the primary source of renewable energy, with increasing gains from conservation and GVEA's Sustainable Natural Alternative Power (SNAP) program. GVEA currently has 19 SNAP producers. 

But the challenge doesn't end here. Now that Golden Valley has met this goal it must be maintained as the next goal, 20 percent by 2014, is aimed for. With demand for electricity increasing by around three percent each year, this is no easy task. 

"It's a challenge we have to keep on meeting. It's going to be a scramble, but I'm confident we'll meet the goal," said Vice President of Power Supply Kate Lamal.  

GVEA is looking into a number of different projects to meet the 20 percent mark. Among these are the viability of wind generation, small scale hydroelectric projects, increasing the number of SNAP producers, bio-fuels and increasing conservation. 

GVEA is currently researching wind generation potential near Healy, Delta Junction and on Murphy Dome. Data collected from these sites will help determine the best location for future wind turbines that could add another green resource to GVEA's generation. Several private groups are also evaluating wind and solar in several other areas. 

"The GVEA board is committed to protecting the environment," said Board Chairman Bill Nordmark. "We believe we can continue to meet these goals with continued development of these efforts and other programs in the works." 

Golden Valley Electric Association is a member-owned cooperative owning and operating five power plants that provide power to over 90,000 Interior residents. In 2005, GVEA became the first utility in the state to adopt a Green Power Pledge and to offer SNAP - its Sustainable Natural Alternative Power green power program.  

Approximately 1,600 Golden Valley Electric Association consumers in the Dawson Road area in North Pole are without power. The outage was caused by equipment failure at a substation. Crews are on site making repairs. Power is expected to be restored by 12:30 p.m. 

Golden Valley Electric apologizes for this inconvenience and appreciates members' patience while our crews make these necessary repairs.  

Golden Valley Electric Association's 2008 Scholarship program's deadline is fast approaching. All applications for the eight scholarships must be hand-delivered to the co-op's Fairbanks office or postmarked by 5:00 p.m., February 8, 2008. These scholarships are open to graduating seniors, vocational and continuing education students. To be eligible, the applicant or a member of the applicant's immediate family must be a member of Golden Valley Electric. 

The use of unclaimed capital credits to fund scholarships provides a good source to support education for our cooperative members. The Alaska Rural Electric Cooperative Association's Education Foundation manages the funds for the co-op. 

Application forms and instructions can be found on GVEA's website at www.gvea.com. Direct inquires can be emailed to scholarship@gvea.com or by calling 451-5602.  

Golden Valley Electric Association's Healy power plant achieved its second best year of performance in 2007. Despite celebrating the plant's 40th year of operation, a capacity factor for the year of 97.8 percent should place it in the top two or three coal-fired plants in the nation for 2007, beating out many newer plants, according to Healy Plant Manager Dave Hoffman. 

"The past four years have been fantastic," Hoffman said. "Healy had the highest coal-fired capacity factor in the nation in 2004 and 2005, and was third in 2006. Healy is the only plant that has finished in first place more than once." 

A power plant's capacity factor is the plant's production compared to its rated ability. For example, if Healy ran at a rated capacity of 25 megawatts for 8,760 hours (one year) with no scheduled outages, it would have a capacity factor of 100 percent. Many factors contribute to overall production, including weather, maintenance and outages. 

Coal remains GVEA's lowest cost fuel, helping the Healy power plant produce energy at the lowest cost to co-op members. In 2007, the plant burned nearly 200,000 tons coal. 

"Healy has definitely established a reputation for achieving goals. Our goal for Healy in 2008 is our best year ever, saving our members as much as we can on energy costs," Hoffman noted.  

Golden Valley Electric Association members can now save even more money with their Co-op Connections Cards. Your co-op is adding a new benefit - Pharmacy Discount. 

This discount offers members the opportunity to save 10 to 60 percent on prescriptions at over 48,000 pharmacies nationwide including these nine local ones:

• Carrs, North Pole
• Chief Andrew Isaac Health Center
• Denali Pharmacy
• Fred Meyer - West and Steese
• Safeway - Airport and College
• Wal-Mart Pharmacy

 

Members can find a complete list at www.locateproviders.com. 

While this plan is not insurance, it is a pharmacy discount offer. The card provides immediate discounts at the pharmacy. There are no forms to fill out and no limit to the number of times members can use the card. These discounts are available only at participating retail pharmacies. 

The Pharmacy Discount cannot be used in conjunction with insurance. However, members can use the card to purchase prescriptions not covered by their insurance plans at a discounted rate. 

To take advantage of this benefit, members need to attach a sticker with the plan Group and Member Numbers to the back of their Co-op Connections Cards. Members can pick up the stickers at any GVEA office or visit our sign up web page to have stickers mailed to them. 

Golden Valley Electric Association's new President & CEO Brian Newton selected Purchasing Officer Tom Hartnell to fill the role of Vice President of Administrative Services and Vice President of Employee Services Dave Gardner to take on the newly created position of Vice President of Marketing and Member Services.  

In his new position, Hartnell oversees several administrative sections of Golden Valley, including purchasing, human resources, safety and accounting.  

The new position of Vice President of Marketing and Member Services brings together sections of Golden Valley that have an external, member focus, such as member services, billing, credit, public relations and energy efficiency. 

Together, Hartnell and Gardner have a combined total of over 30 years of experience at Golden Valley Electric. 

Effective January 1, members will see a 3.12 percent increase in the Energy Charge portion of their electric bills. For the average residential member, this adds approximately three dollars per month to the bill. 

Several things contributing to the need for an increase include: 

• Increasing operational and maintenance costs for materials and supplies, transportation and workforce related expenses, and other expenses we incur to keep the electric system reliable and up to date.
• Increasing financial requirements placed upon us by our lenders so we continue to maintain a strong financial position.
• An increase in interest expenses for recent construction projects including the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and the North Pole Expansion Power Plant.

 

In addition to this rate adjustment, we anticipate a slight increase in June 08 when the next regularly scheduled semi-annual rate filing goes into effect. This will then complete the cooperative's requirement to recover prior costs until a new cost of service study is completed in the later part of 2008. The new cost of service study will give us an accurate picture of how costs are being spread across the different categories of consumers (residential, commercial, industrial) and how the rates for each of these categories will be affected. We will keep you up to date as this information becomes available. 

New GVEA CEO Brian Newton

Golden Valley Electric Association's Board of Directors today announced the selection of Brian Newton as Golden Valley's new president and CEO. Newton replaces Steven Haagenson who is retiring from GVEA after 32 years on November 30, 2007.  

Newton has been president and CEO of Consolidated Electric Cooperative in Mt. Gilead, Ohio for the past nine years. Prior to joining Consolidated, he served as general manager of North Central Public Power District in Creighton, Nebraska, for over eleven years. 

Newton has a history of customer service and community involvement, including service on United Way, chamber of commerce and youth sports boards.  

"We are very pleased to have Brian join the GVEA family," Board Chairman Bill Nordmark said. "His experience in the electric industry and member service will benefit all of our member-owners. Brian understands the electric industry and the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead." Newton will join Golden Valley in November. 

Brian and his wife, Michell, have been married for 29 years. They have three children. Newton grew up in rural Nebraska, graduated with an MBA from Ashland University, Ashland, Ohio and is currently a 2008 Doctoral Candidate at the Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Golden Valley Electric Association completed its safest year on record June 2006 to June 2007 with no lost time accidents. This accomplishment was achieved during a year that included construction of the North Pole Expansion Power Plant. 

"Safety First, Safety is Job 1 and Think Safety are slogans often heard or seen painted on the side of a truck," said GVEA's Job Training and Safety Officer Phil Newton. "But we don't have an official safety slogan at GVEA. And for good reason. What it takes to get our work done without getting hurt can't be captured in a slogan." 

As part of its ongoing effort to improve and maintain safe work areas and habits, GVEA has earned national safety certification from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association for the past 18 years. Last year, it was also recognized by the Alaska Power Association and the Northwest Public Power Association as the best large co-op in the region for safety. The governor of Alaska recognized us with the Safety Award of Excellence. 

This dedication to safety benefits the cooperative's member-owners as well. Due to its safe work record, GVEA saved over $140,000 on Workers' Compensation premiums. An additional $28,000 was saved in general liability premium discounts. 

While such an accomplishment requires commitment from the Board of Directors, President & CEO Steven Haagenson attributes the achievement to the employees. "This goes well beyond a work plan or strategy. It takes commitment from every person doing the work every day to do every job in the safest way possible." 

The first year GVEA compiled safety statistics was 1978. 

At 11 a.m. today a truck tore down a communications cable on a utility pole, which resulted in damage to GVEA facilities. Repairs to this equipment need to be made immediately, which will result in an outage of up to 2 hours for members in the general area of Dale Road & Broadmoor Acres on the northwest end of Airport Way. This affects approximately 400 consumers. The Fairbanks International Airport is not affected by this outage. 

GVEA apologizes for this inconvenience and appreciates members' patience while our crews make these necessary repairs. 

The Golden Valley Electric Association board of directors will have a new face when it meets on June 25. John Sloan won the District 6 election over incumbent Karen Cedzo. Cedzo was appointed to the Board in December 2006 to fill the vacancy opened by the retirement of Dwight Nissen. In District 5, incumbent Ron Bergh was reelected. 

Eight judges from Golden Valley Electric Association's Member Advisory Committee opened and counted the ballots and certified election results for the two seats. The co-op mailed ballots to all members residing in Districts 5 and 6 on May 4, 2007. A 10 percent return was required for a quorum.  

District 5 -
Ballots mailed: 6,028	Valid ballots returned:	1033 - 17%
Candidates:	Hank Bartos	232 votes - 23%
	Ron Bergh	612 votes - 59%
	Dave Pieczynski	189 votes - 18%

 

Bergh has served on GVEA's board since 1980. He is the Alaska director to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and in 2005 was seated as the president of NRECA's Board of Directors. 

District 6 -
Ballots mailed: 1,488	Valid ballots returned:	496 - 33%
Candidates:	Karen Cedzo	166 votes - 33%
	Brian Corty	48 votes - 10%
	John Sloan	282 votes - 57%

 

Newly elected Sloan is a retired teacher with 24 years of classroom experience. He is a Delta Junction businessman and served on the Delta City Council for four and a half years.  

Incorporated in 1946, Golden Valley Electric is a member-owned cooperative. GVEA operates and maintains nearly 3,000 miles of power lines. The co-op serves 90,000 Interior residents from Cantwell north along the Parks Highway and from Fairbanks south to Fort Greely along the Richardson Highway. 

As you enjoy the fine summer weather this weekend, Golden Valley Electric Association reminds you to look up and live. Be aware of power lines when: Clearing gutters Painting houses Repairing roofs Mounting satellite dishes Trimming or removing trees Cleaning chimneys Carrying ladders 

Contact with power lines can result in injuries and even death. GVEA urges you to be aware of power lines, and avoid contact with them. And do not try to remove any tree touching or at risk of falling into a power line.  

Call GVEA at 452-1151. A dispatcher is available to answer emergency calls 24 hours a day. 

Underground power lines carry just as much danger. Ask GVEA to locate the underground primary power line before excavating or digging in areas with underground power.  

"Let's play ball!" was the cry from Golden Valley Electric Association's Board Chairman Bill Nordmark to kick off the co-op's 60th Annual Members' Meeting Tuesday night. "Going to Bat for You" was the theme for the evening and Nordmark and GVEA President & CEO Steven Haagenson presented a lively nine-inning game to a crowd of 1,444 registered members. 

During a "pre-game show," four members from the audience played the "Price Is Light" and won gift cards to local stores. During the program, members heard:

• Updates on growth in the Interior and how GVEA is poised to meet growing demands for power
• Plans to meet the co-op's green power pledge of 10 percent of peak load to come from renewable resources this year
• About efforts GVEA is taking to help members use energy efficiently

 

GVEA issued the first checks to SNAP power producers, ranging from $10 to $695. SNAP stands for sustainable natural alternative power. There are eight members online producing green power with solar or wind. 

Members Virginia Damron, J. Dougherty, Stan King, Diane Leavy and Clyde Lorenz were the winners of the free Home$ense audit drawing. 

Eight academic scholarships totaling $20,000 were awarded as follows:
One $10,000 University of Alaska academic: Kelsey Bearden
Two $2,000 academic: Sara Johansen and Emily Mathews
One $1,000 academic: Lucy Moore
One $2,000 vocational: Elijah Verhagen
Three $1,000 continuing education: Patricia Carlson, Dawn Hughes and Julie Olson
 

Six cash prizes, given away at the end of the meeting, went to:
Four $500 prizes: Anna Finklea, Ellen Fletcher, Michelle Miller and Patricia Stroud
One $1,000 prize: Archie Valentine
One $1,500 prize: Alfred Sturmann
 

Members who attended chose registration bonus of either a $15 credit on their bill or a Kill A Watt energy usage monitor. Prior to the business meeting, members received their Co-op Connections Cards for discounts at local and national merchants, enjoyed a live 10,000-volt electrical safety demonstration, learned how outages occur and how to install a standby generator safely, and had the opportunity to chat with board members.  

Record annual meeting attendance was 1,520 in 2001. 

A replay of the "game" will be posted online by the end of the week. Additional information on SNAP, Home$ense and scholarships can also be found on GVEA's website.  

April 24 promises an entertaining and informative evening for Golden Valley Electric Association members as the co-op holds its 60th Annual Members' Meeting at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks.  

Registration begins at 6 p.m. Account holders or authorized voters on business accounts will receive a registration bonus - a choice of either $15 applied to the membership account or a Kill A Watt energy usage monitor (limited supply available). Positive identification is required to register. 

From 6-7:30p.m., displays will be set up in the Pioneer Room. Members can:

• Watch a live 10,000-volt electrical safety demonstration
• Be the first to receive their Co-op Connections Cards
• Learn how to size and hook up a standby generator
• Sign up to win one of five free Home$ense residential energy audits
• Visit with Districts 5 and 6 board of director candidates

 

Kids can visit with puppets Tug and Digby to learn electrical safety tips and receive a GVEA annual report just for kids. Refreshments will be served. 

The business meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. Chairman of the board Bill Nordmark and president & CEO Steven Haagenson will update members on cooperative initiatives and projects. GVEA will distribute the first checks to SNAP producers, eight academic scholarship winners will be announced and there will be a period for member comments.  

Door prizes will be drawn at the end of the meeting. GVEA will give away six cash prizes at the close of the meeting: (4) $500 prizes, $1,000 or $1,500. Prizewinners must be present to win. 

Golden Valley Electric is a member-owned cooperative providing over 60 years of service to the Interior. GVEA is the third largest electric utility in Alaska and serves 90,000 Interior residents from Cantwell north along the Parks Highway and from Fairbanks south to Fort Greely along the Richardson Highway.  

Golden Valley Electric Association President and CEO Steven Haagenson announced today that he intends to retire at the end of November this year. Haagenson has been a part of the GVEA cooperative for 32 years, and has been at its helm since 2001. 

The board will begin the recruitment process for a new president in April, and according to GVEA board Chairman Bill Nordmark, the goal is to have someone in place by November 1, 2007. 

In making his announcement Haagenson said, "It has been exciting to be a part of the Golden Valley team, as we grew from a small utility of 12,000 members during pipeline construction days to the 42,000 members of today. I was fortunate to be a part of the leadership, planning, construction and innovation to ensure GVEA provided reliable power to its members at every step of our growth." 

During his tenure at GVEA Haagenson has worked up through the ranks, working first in a part-time summer position as a staking technician before moving into positions in engineering and operations. The board named him President and CEO in 2001. In looking at his accomplishments, Haagenson says, "I will always be able to look back on my many years at GVEA and know I have left my footprints in many positive ways across the co-op." 

Nordmark, agrees, "Steve has had a considerable impact on the GVEA operation. He has been a very positive force in the organization, always looking for the best opportunities to move the cooperative forward." He went on to say, "The board has appreciated working with Steve and wishes him the best as he looks ahead to retirement. He will assist the board in the coming months before his retirement on November 30, helping us transition GVEA to new leadership." 

Haagenson says the transition will require "continued innovation, creative thinking and commitment as GVEA faces new opportunities." He describes GVEA employees as "among the best in the state, if not the best, dedicated to keeping the lights on in one of the harshest environments worldwide." 

Haagenson said he and his wife, Maureen, plan to remain in Fairbanks, but want to take time to do some traveling and relax. "We aren't going anywhere except for a trip or two. This is our home and we want to remain a part of the Fairbanks community."  

Following the resignation of Director Dwight Nissen, Golden Valley Electric Association's Board of Directors seeks to fill the vacant board seat representing the Delta Junction area. 

GVEA's service area is divided into seven geographic districts, with one director elected from each district. Members elect their directors, who serve three-year terms. Elections take place annually between May and June with no more than three directors elected in any one year. Members in Districts 5 and 6 will elect their board members next year. 

"While members in District 6 are due to vote for their board representative next spring, seating of that director wouldn't take place until late June," explained GVEA's Board Chairman Bill Nordmark. "The Board feels eight months is too long to go without representation and seeks to appoint a new District 6 director before the end of this year."  

Next spring, members in District 6 will still vote by mail ballot for the director who will represent them for the next three years. 

Applicants for GVEA's District 6 director would need to reside in that district, which includes Delta Junction, Fort Greely and all areas south of the Salcha River, including Harding and Birch Lakes. Prospective applicants should contact GVEA's Executive Administrative Assistant Susan Redlin at (907) 458-5721 or 1-800-770-GVEA. 

"Directors hold the responsibility for managing the multi-million dollar business with assets of nearly $390 million and annual income that exceeded $117 million in 2005," said Nordmark. "Serving on GVEA's board takes more than a few hours one evening a month. A director can expect to spend at least 35 to 40 days a year on GVEA business." 

Nissen resigned on October 23, 2007 after faithfully serving GVEA members for 22 years. A retired schoolteacher, Nissen has been very active in the Delta Junction community where he lives with his wife, Janize. This Nissens' future plans include spending more time with family in the Lower 48 and at their condo in South Dakota.  

The Fairbanks tourist season will extend an additional week as around 400 cooperative directors and senior management arrive for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's Region 9 Conference. 

Hosted this year by Golden Valley Electric Association, attendees will learn the challenges of power supply, become more efficient and discuss lessons learned in disaster planning. There will also be director training courses, including orientation for newly elected cooperative directors. This year's conference will be held at the Fairbanks Westmark from September 19-22. 

Region 9 encompasses cooperatives in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, American Samoa and Guam. 

Golden Valley Electric is a member-owned cooperative celebrating its 60th year of business. GVEA is the third largest electric utility in Alaska and serves 90,000 Interior residents from Cantwell north along the Parks Highway and from Fairbanks south to Fort Greely along the Richardson Highway. 

Several members of Golden Valley Electric Association plan to speak with Ferry residents August 3 on ongoing projects in the area. 

Paul Morgan, manager of systems and network engineering, will be providing an update on current wind studies taking place near Ferry. GVEA is pursing the possibility of adding wind power to its electrical generation capabilities. 

Presenting information on the Sustainable Natural Alternative Power (SNAP) program will be Dave Gardner, vice president of employee services, and Henrik Wessel, GVEA's environmental officer. SNAP helps connect producers of alternative energy with those who'd like to purchase it. 

Tom Irwin, vice president of governmental and public affairs will be presenting the My Cooperative slideshow. Topics he'll cover include rates, growth in the Interior and how GVEA is poised to meet it and the co-op's newly adopted Green Power Pledge.  

The meeting will take place at the residence of Wayne and Lolita Valcq. Their home can be found by driving to mile 261 of the Parks Highway and turning on Rock Creek. Signs posted along the way will point you in the right direction.  

Fairbanks: Golden Valley Electric Association members opted for experience, maintaining the incumbents in both District 4 and 7. In District 4, Bill Digan retains his spot on the board, while in District 7, Bill Nordmark also kept his position. 

Five judges from Golden Valley Electric Association's Member Advisory Committee opened and counted the ballots and certified the election results for both seats. The co-op mailed ballots to all members residing in Districts 4 and 7 on May 5, 2006. A 10 percent return was required for a quorum. 

District 4 -
Ballots mailed: 5,975	Valid ballots returned:	989 - 16%
Candidates:	Cheryl Berrong	479 votes - 48%
	Bill Digan	510 votes - 52%

Digan served as director for GVEA's District 4 from 1985 to 1997 and was Secretary of the Board for those 12 years. Digan was re-elected to Golden Valley's Board in June 2003 and currently serves as Secretary of the Board. 

District 7 -
Ballots mailed: 1,044	Valid ballots returned:	279 - 26%
Candidates:	Scott Allen	96 votes - 34%
	Bill Nordmark	183 votes - 66%

Nordmark has been on the board since 1995 and serves as Vice-Chairman. He lives in Healy where he owns and operates Motel Nord Haven. 

Golden Valley Electric is a member-owned cooperative celebrating its 60th year of business. GVEA is the third largest electric utility in Alaska and serves 90,000 Interior residents from Cantwell north along the Parks Highway and from Fairbanks south to Fort Greely along the Richardson Highway. 

Golden Valley Electric Association recently took honors in the 2006 "Spotlight on Excellence" awards program, sponsored by the Council of Rural Electric Communicators. GVEA received an Award of Excellence in the Best Advertising Program Category for the You're Part of Our Co-op campaign, which ran for the last 12 months. GVEA Public Relations Analyst Dianne Porter coordinated the award-winning campaign. The co-op also walked away with the top award for its 2005 Annual Meeting presentation, Value Down the Line, in the Best Multi-media Presentation Category. 

"Cooperatives are working hard to communicate effectively with the people they serve - their members," said Maggie Tilley, administrator of Spotlight on Excellence. "Those efforts were clearly demonstrated in the entries we received from across the nation. Co-op members are being well-served by these outstanding communicators, who deserve recognition." 

The Spotlight awards competition is an annual event recognizing the top-rated communication and marketing efforts by electric cooperatives and related organizations. Electric cooperative communicators and marketing professionals submitted more than 700 entries in the Spotlight on Excellence program, now in its 18th year. Faculty members from the prestigious University of Missouri - Columbia and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill judged the entries. 

The Council of Rural Electric Communicators was organized in 1982, and seeks to advance the recognition, education, and professionalism of electric cooperative communicators and their affiliated organizations. It is a volunteer association working on behalf of approximately 1,300 electric cooperative communicators across the United States. NRECA, the trade and service organization representing the national interests of cooperative electric utilities, coordinates the Council's activities.  

Golden Valley Electric is a member-owned cooperative celebrating its 60th year of business. GVEA is the third largest electric utility in Alaska and serves 90,000 Interior residents from Cantwell north along the Parks Highway and from Fairbanks south to Fort Greely along the Richardson Highway.  

The electric industry has a saying "Trees can put your lights out," and last weekend a single tree left 6,900 homes and businesses without power for almost 90 minutes in Fairbanks. While a power outage is certainly inconvenient, the situation was also extremely dangerous.  

"This is the time of year when folks get out the chain saw and start clearing dead or unwanted trees," said Golden Valley Electric Association operations manager Rich Piech. "A tree in an energized power line acts as a conductor of electricity and presents a potentially deadly situation."  

"Look up and live" is another industry mantra, and it's the theme of GVEA's bill insert this month. The co-op continually works to remind members to be aware of power lines when performing maintenance and landscaping activities such as:

• Mounting satellite dishes
• Clearing attic air vents
• Cleaning chimneys
• Clearing gutters
• Carrying ladders
• Repairing roofs
• Paining houses
• and removing or trimming trees.

 

Golden Valley has a right-of-way maintenance program that includes evaluating trees in danger of contacting power lines. While GVEA is responsible for maintaining clear rights of way, members are responsible for maintaining the service drop. If members have trees in the service drop or anywhere near GVEA facilities, the co-op recommends hiring a licensed contractor to remove them. For more information, contact GVEA's operations department at (907) 452-1151.  

Golden Valley Electric Association and the UAF Cooperative Extension Service are co-sponsoring a free Renewable Energy Clinic on Saturday, February 18, 2006. Staff from GVEA, the Cooperative Extension and privately-owned Remote Power, Inc. will conduct the clinic at the UAF Natural Sciences Building from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

"With GVEA's SNAP program and the newly passed tax credits for renewable energy measures, this is the year to install your own green power generation system," said GVEA's Energy Efficiency Specialist Todd Hoener. 

On the agenda are:

• GVEA's SNAP (Sustainable Natural Alternative Energy) program overview
• Federal tax credits for renewable energy measures
• Photovoltaics overview
• Solar design overview

 

The Renewable Energy Clinic is free, but registration is required. Call 474-6366 to register or for more information.  

Continuing a tradition of excellence, Golden Valley's Healy Power Plant employees once again provided a record setting year. In 2004, the plant reached an all time high of a 96.3 percent capacity factor. In 2005, they shattered that record, surpassing the 25 Megawatt rating for the plant, ending the year with 219,411 Megawatt-hours, or just over 100 percent of its rated capacity factor. 

The capacity factor is a plant's production compared with its rated ability. The 30-year old coal-fired plant is rated at 25MW. According to Healy Power Plant Manager, Dave Hoffman, many factors contribute to overall production including weather and plant maintenance. When all these elements align, production can go beyond the plant's rating allowing it to exceed 100 percent of its rated capacity. 

In 1996, the Healy Power Plant received a retrofit to reduce emissions of nitrogen and sulfur compounds as part of the permitting process for the Healy Clean Coal Project. In addition, a new automated control system was installed. Prior to the retrofit, the annual production record was 203,526 MWh set in 1993. That record was broken in 2002, when the plant generated 204,775 MWh. Then, in 2004, generation once again set records at 211,522 MWh. With two weeks left in the year, the Healy Power Plant broke that record on December 19, 2005.  

"As the lowest cost power source in the GVEA fleet, Healy is committed to maximizing our production to keep electric rates as low as possible," Hoffman says. "Thanks to everyone at Healy for their effort in being able to achieve this record setting performance."  

Tom Irwin - VP Governmental & Public Affairs

Tom Irwin joins Golden Valley Electric Association on January 16 as the Vice President of Governmental and Public Affairs, filling the newly created position. He brings years of management experience to GVEA. 

As the title implies, Irwin will be the co-op's liaison in the governmental sector, locally and statewide. In this role, he will also oversee GVEA's public relations staff. 

"This position mirrors contemporary cooperative organizational models. We've had this position in our structure for the past year and the timing of Tom being available made us decide to fill the position now," said Steven Haagenson, GVEA's President & CEO. "Tom has a proven track record of hard work and ethical standards. He's a good fit for GVEA." 

Irwin worked for many years with the Fort Knox Gold Mine. He was involved in every aspect from design to operation. From 1996 to 2001, he was Operation Manager and General Manager of the Fort Knox and True North Mines. Most recently, he was the Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources, giving him excellent insight into governmental workings.  

On December 30, 2005, Golden Valley Electric Association and Aurora Energy signed a new power sales agreement for the purchase of electricity from Aurora's power plant on the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks. 

The new contract will replace the original contract that was negotiated as part of the sale of the City of Fairbanks utility system in 1997. Since 2003, this contract has been challenged by Aurora Energy in front of the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA). The new contract was given this week to the RCA for review and once approved it will resolve the last three years of controversy over contract interpretation.  

This will also resolve a current filing by Pogo mine with the RCA. This dispute also revolved around contract interpretations of pricing. "The Holy Grail in business ethics is negotiating the win-win agreement. This is a four-way win," said Steven Haagenson, President & CEO of Golden Valley Electric, "it is a win for Aurora Energy, a win for Pogo, a win for the RCA and a win for Golden Valley." 

RCA's approval of this contract is critical in helping Golden Valley secure stable pricing in a volatile energy market. This enables GVEA to control costs that are passed on to our members.  

Yesterday, Golden Valley Electric Association filed a motion with the court requesting mediation be used in resolving Alaska Industrial Development & Export Authority's (AIDEA) lawsuit regarding the HCCP power plant. GVEA believes that mediation has the best chance of a lasting resolution so that value can be realized from HCCP.  

AIDEA's November 2005 lawsuit alleges GVEA breached the 2000 Settlement Agreement between GVEA and AIDEA regarding the dormant AIDEA owned power plant in Healy. The suit claims economic damages in excess of $167 million.  

The HCCP project began in 1988 and over the years both parties made several agreements that led to disputes concerning the plant. Mediation will allow both parties to come to the table and resolve complex issues. GVEA believes that one day, HCCP can operate in a safe, efficient and economical manner and benefit Interior Alaska - a promise GVEA has made from day one. As always, GVEA stands firm in protecting members' best interest in the cooperative. 

GVEA's filing with the court includes a narrative "Statement of Fact."  

On November 7, the Alaska Industrial Development & Export Authority (AIDEA) filed a lawsuit against Golden Valley Electric Association, a cooperative owned by its members. The claim alleges GVEA breached a 2000 Settlement Agreement between GVEA and AIDEA regarding the dormant HCCP power plant.  

AIDEA claims Golden Valley breached the Settlement Agreement by denying AIDEA a ground lease for HCCP, which sits on GVEA-owned land, and being uncooperative in AIDEA's effort to restart and operate HCCP. To this end, AIDEA is claiming economic damages in excess of $167 million. 

In fact, GVEA has been negotiating with AIDEA on a ground lease and has been working with AIDEA since the Settlement Agreement to get HCCP operational.  

Golden Valley's first impression is there is no basis for the suit. After further legal review, GVEA will be able to comment further on the substance of the claim, if there is any. 

As always, GVEA stands firmly in protecting members' best interests in the cooperative.  

Chugach Electric Association, Golden Valley Electric Association and Anchorage Municipal Light & Power, three of Alaska's largest electric utilities, have agreed to form Alaska Railbelt Energy Authority a Joint Action Agency (JAA). 

The JAA structure will permit the utilities to combine their expertise, resources and borrowing power to make major investments in generation and transmission facilities. This is necessary to meet growing demands for power and replace an aging Railbelt electric supply system. The JAA will coordinate planning among the Railbelt utilities and help contain the rising costs of energy in Railbelt communities. 

The JAA is not a merger; it would be a legal entity independent of its members. The ratepayers of one utility would not subsidize power to other utilities. 

"This is a landmark action on the part of the main generating and transmitting utilities in the Railbelt," Chugach Chief Executive Officer Joe Griffith, said. "This is good news for all Railbelt electricity users." 

The agreement also allows the JAA to contemplate acquiring state-owned power projects including the Bradley Lake Hydroelectric Project, the Alaska Intertie (linking Southcentral Alaska and the Interior), and the Healy Clean Coal Project. The utilities will be discussing the transfer of assets with the Alaska Industrial Development & Export Authority/Alaska Energy Authority (AIDEA/AEA) and the Alaska Legislature this session. 

"Each of our utilities will remain responsive and responsible to our respective customers," ML&P General Manager Jim Posey said. "The JAA allows us to reap the benefits of working as a cohesive group and to plan for future generation based on regional needs. It's important that all six utilities in the Railbelt - including Homer, MEA and Seward - participate." 

The three utilities are at different stages of the formal approval process. Chugach Electric and Golden Valley Electric Association boards formally approved participation at their recent board meetings. The ML&P Commission, an advisory body recently recommended approval of ML&P's participation. 

An Alaska Energy Policy Task Force, formed by the Alaska Legislature in 2003, recognized that Alaska needs a long-term plan to meet current and future electrical needs. The Task Force recommended the formation of a unified system operator and that the Railbelt utilities continue joint planning to provide the most reliable and economic power supply to the Railbelt. "This JAA will go a long way in satisfying goals set by this statewide task force and in providing long term benefits to the Railbelt and the State of Alaska," said GVEA President & CEO Steven Haagenson. 

The JAA membership will be open to all other Railbelt electric cooperatives and municipalities, which include the City of Seward Light & Power, Homer Electric Association and Matanuska Electric Association. In the meantime, the three charter members are proceeding in order to begin providing the benefits of a JAA to the communities they serve. Dave Calvert, the Utility Manager for the City of Seward Light & Power Division said, "The City of Seward plans to join the JAA at its earliest opportunity." 

Fairbanks: The Golden Valley Electric Association board of directors will have a new face when it meets on June 27. Tom DeLong won the District 2 election over incumbent Pete Haggland. In Districts 1 and 3, incumbents Dan Osborne and Rick Schikora, respectively, were reelected. 

Ten judges from Golden Valley Electric Association's Member Advisory Committee opened and counted the ballots and certified election results for the three seats. The co-op mailed ballots to all members residing in Districts 1, 2 and 3 on May 6, 2005. A 10% return was required for a quorum.  

District 1 -
Ballots mailed: 4,927	Valid ballots returned:	777 - 16%
Candidates:	Dan Osborne	507 votes - 65%
	Dan Spillane	270 votes - 35%

Osborne has served on GVEA's board since 1981. He is a Credentialed Cooperative Director and is a senior project engineer at the University of Alaska's Geophysical Institute. 

District 2 -
Ballots mailed: 5,603	Valid ballots returned:	1,048 - 19%
Candidates:	Tom DeLong	473 votes - 45%
	Pete Haggland	449 votes - 43%
	Brendan Labelle-Hamer	126 votes - 12%

 

Newly elected DeLong ran for the District 2 board seat in the 2002 election and has been a member of GVEA's Green Power Advisory Committee since its formation in 2003. DeLong is the contracts and office manager of ABR, Inc. Environmental Research & Services.  

Outgoing director Haggland served on GVEA's board for nine years. As vice president of the ARECA Education Foundation, he was instrumental in instituting GVEA's academic scholarship program. 

District 3 -
Ballots mailed: 5,717	Valid ballots returned:	734 - 13%
Candidates:	Kerry Pringle	208 votes - 28%
	Rick Schikora	526 votes - 72%

 

Schikora has served on GVEA's board since 1986 and has held the position of chairman for 12 years. He is a Credentialed Cooperative Director and is a certified public accountant and co-owner of Warwick & Schikora, CPAs. 

Incorporated in 1946, Golden Valley Electric is a member-owned cooperative. GVEA operates and maintains nearly 2,800 miles of power lines. The co-op serves 90,000 Interior residents from Cantwell north along the Parks Highway and from Fairbanks south to Fort Greely along the Richardson Highway.  

Front row: Sean Holden, Stephanie Sweetsir, Theresa Woldstad, Nikki Boyce. Back row: Chloe Howe, Mary Haas, Brian Christensen. Not pictured: Jamie Thierman.

Golden Valley Electric awarded $20,000 in scholarships to eight graduating high school seniors and continuing education students at the co-op's Annual Members' Meeting on April 26 at the Carlson Center. This is GVEA's fourth year offering scholarships which cover academic, vocational and continuing education.  

The scholarship recipients are as follows: 

$1,000 continuing education scholarship - Theresa Woldstad who will continue to attend the University of Alaska Fairbanks 

$1,000 continuing education scholarship - Stephanie Sweetsir who will continue to attend the University of Alaska Fairbanks 

$1,000 continuing education scholarship - Brian Christensen who will continue to attend the University of Alaska Fairbanks 

$1,000 academic scholarship - Jamie Thierman, a Lathrop High School senior 

$2,000 vocational scholarship - Chloe Howe, a West Valley High School senior 

$2,000 academic scholarship - Nikki Boyce, a North Pole High School senior 

$2,000 academic scholarship - Mary Haas, a West Valley High School senior 

$10,000 academic scholarship - Sean Holden, a West Valley High School senior. Sean is being awarded $2,500 a year for four years.  

To be eligible, the applicant or a member of the applicant's immediate family must be a member of Golden Valley Electric. These scholarships, funded by unclaimed capital credits, provide a good source for supporting education for cooperative members. The Alaska Rural Electric Cooperative Association's Education Foundation manages the funds for the co-op.  

 

Jim McDowall, Saft America Inc.'s Business Development Manager, presents the Guinness World Record certificate to GVEA Board President Rick Schikora and Golden Valley President & CEO Steve Haagenson

Golden Valley Electric received a Guinness World Record certificate acknowledging GVEA's BESS is the world's most powerful battery. The BESS earned the world record when on December 10, 2003, during a test of its maximum limit, it discharged 46 megawatts for five minutes. The certificate was presented by Jim McDowall, Saft America Inc.'s Business Development Manager. 

On April 7, 2005, Saft and ABB representatives met with GVEA Engineering staff to sign the Final Acceptance Certificate. When GVEA contracted with Saft and ABB to design the BESS, the agreement included an 18-month availability guarantee. The guarantee required that the BESS maintain 98 percent or better availability during its first 18 consecutive months of operation. BESS proved its reliability over the past 18 months with a 99.2 percent availability meaning it was available to pick up load 99.2 percent of the time.  

GVEA's BESS Project Manager Tim DeVries notes, "The signing of the Final Acceptance Certificate for the BESS was monumental for all parties - ABB and Saft as designers of the BESS and for GVEA because the reliability of the system has been proven." 

During its first 18 months of operation, the BESS responded during 63 events and prevented 335,732 member outages. It also helped reduce annual outage time per member from 3.73 hours in 2003 to 2.79 hours in 2004. Most of the outages that did occur were from events such as trees in the line or extreme weather conditions. These are the type of outages BESS cannot prevent. The BESS is designed to pick up load automatically during generation-related interruptions.  

Golden Valley President & CEO Steve Haagenson presents Get Charged kits to FNSBSD Curriculum Coordinator Peggy Carlson

Golden Valley Electric, in partnership with Touchstone Energy Cooperative and Discovery Channel School, is launching the Get Charged! program in local schools to give area sixth graders a real-world understanding of electricity. Touchstone Energy Cooperative is an alliance of local, member-owned co-ops across the United States formed in 1998 to effectively use new technology to co-ops' advantage and to clearly communicate the strength of cooperatives.  

GVEA presented the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District with Get Charged! program kits which provide basic information about electricity, how it works and how to use it. The kits will be distributed to sixth grade educators throughout the school district. The kits include videos, Teachers' Resource Guides, student activity books - all at no charge - to augment the school district's existing curriculum on electricity.  

"We are delighted to provide these materials to the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District," said GVEA President and CEO Steve Haagenson. "This program is the latest in our ongoing initiatives to support electrical education and safety in our schools." 

Golden Valley has provided electrical safety demonstrations to area schools for 20 years and has supported school district science fairs for over 15 years.  

From the left: H.C. Price Vice President and Alaska General Manager Dave Matthews, GVEA President & CEO Steve Haagenson and North Pole Mayor Jeff Jacobson.

North Pole, Alaska - On August 30, Golden Valley Electric Association broke ground for the co-op's North Pole Power Plant Expansion project. A crowd of 75 gathered to hear GVEA president & CEO Steve Haagenson, North Pole City Mayor Jeff Jacobson and H.C. Price Company vice president and Alaska general manager Dave Matthews describe the benefits this project will bring to Interior electric consumers, local economies and the environment. In attendance were representatives from local, state and federal delegations as well as employees from GVEA, H.C. Price and Norcon. 

GVEA will construct the new plant adjacent to its existing North Pole Power Plant. The new plant will provide 60 megawatts of power to the Interior by early 2006, and in the future, can be expanded up to 120 MW as demand necessitates. Neighboring Flint Hills Refinery will produce the plant's fuel, Naphtha, an extremely clean-burning fuel. 

Growth in the Interior continues with the recent addition of the Ground-based Missile Defense System in Delta Junction and next year the co-op will be providing power to Alyeska's Pump Station 9 and the POGO gold mine.  

"While Golden Valley's membership has more than quadrupled over the past three decades, we haven't added any new generation in the Interior for 30 years. We're still growing in Interior Alaska and it's time to add new generation." said Haagenson. "This new power plant will produce highly efficient, environmentally friendly power, ensuring adequate and reliable energy for the Interior far into the future."  

Golden Valley Electric is reluctantly withdrawing its offer to purchase the Healy Clean Coal Plant from the state of Alaska; an offer that would have restarted the plant, provided energy and jobs in the Interior, and would have paid the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority $70 million over the life of the contract. 

AIDEA and the governor are unwilling to negotiate and have been uncooperative with the crucial permitting process, which leaves the co-op with no choice but to withdraw the offer. As the future unfolds for HCCP, Golden Valley will focus its efforts elsewhere to provide power that meets the growing needs of co-op members and the Interior in a safe, reliable and sustainable and environmentally responsible manner. 

HCCP is fatally flawed by faulty design and unproven experimental technology, and continues to languish, as a result. For nearly 15 years now, Golden Valley has tried to help AIDEA overcome those problems so the co-op could develop jobs and fuel sources that are environmentally safe and sustainable. 

"We have tried to work out a resolution and get HCCP up and operating over these many years. Apparently that is not going to work out the way we had hoped or intended," said GVEA president & CEO Steven Haagenson. "Presumably, the Governor and AIDEA have a plan, and that's fine, as long as it doesn't impair our ability to serve and protect our members." 

Golden Valley will work amicably to resolve lingering issues with HCCP and AIDEA such as prior operating agreements, land leases, etc. in a manner which protects the interests of GVEA's members. Beyond that, Golden Valley will have no further involvement with the mothballed experimental power plant. 

"Developing new, economical, sustainable and environmentally responsible power in order to meet the growing needs of the Interior is our focus," said GVEA vice president for power supply Kate Lamal. "That includes a new power plant at our North Pole site that is currently underway and for which GVEA signed a $74.9 million contract with H.C. Price Co. on July 23. This plant is expected to be online, producing 60 megawatts by second quarter 2006." 

The Golden Valley board of directors and management wish the state government well in its efforts to accomplish alone what could not be accomplished together.  

Golden Valley Electric Association has contracted with H. C. Price Co. for engineering, procurement and construction services for the North Pole Expansion project. The $74.9 million contract was signed on July 23. 

The North Pole Expansion project will use combined-cycle technology to add 60 megawatts (MW) of generation at the existing 120-MW North Pole Power Plant site. The plant is designed to allow the future addition of another combustion turbine raising the capacity to 120 MW.  

GVEA President & CEO Steven Haagenson says, "This is monumental for GVEA and our members since we have not added generation in Interior Alaska since 1976 when the North Pole Plant was brought online." The new plant will help Golden Valley meet its future power requirements. The addition of the Strategic Missile Defense System, Pogo Gold Mine and Alyeska's Pump Station #9 is expected to increase GVEA's system power demand by over 30 megawatts within the next three to five years.  

The plant will be energy efficient and clean burning. The steam turbines will use the waste heat from the combustion turbines to produce power. The plant will burn Naphtha, an extremely clean burning fuel. The fuel will be produced at the neighboring Flint Hills Refinery. If natural gas comes to the Interior, the plant will have the ability to burn natural gas.  

H. C. Price Co. intends to mobilize this summer to begin construction and has guaranteed to have the plant commercial by April 2006. H. C. Price's Project Manager Tim Matthews says, "We are pleased to be working in partnership with Golden Valley to ensure the plant will be completed by April 2006 so GVEA is ready to meet the future power needs of their members in the Interior."  

Alyeska Pipeline Service Company and Golden Valley Electric Association have reached an agreement to supply electric power for a planned upgrade to the pipeline's Pump Station 9 near Delta Junction.  

Alyeska recently announced plans to upgrade four pump stations as part of an initiative called strategic reconfiguration. The pipeline reconfiguration project will electrify and automate pump stations 1, 3, 4, and 9 by the end of 2005. 

Electricity generated by GVEA will power three new 6,500 horsepower electric motors and pumps that will boost the pressure in the pipeline to move oil from Pump Station 9 to the Valdez Marine Terminal. Power for the new station will be available late in 2005 to coincide with construction and start-up of the new equipment. 

This is mutually beneficial agreement for Alyeska and GVEA. "This is good for GVEA's rate payers as new large, long-term loads help stabilize rates," states GVEA president & CEO Steve Haagenson. 

Alyeska President and CEO David Wight said, "A clean, reliable, electric power source provides substantial advantages for Alyeska, including environmental improvements over the current dependence on liquid fuel." 

The $250 million pipeline reconfiguration project is the largest investment in TAPS since construction. The upgrades will help reduce the cost of transporting oil through the pipeline and will improve the economics of current and future oil development on the North Slope of Alaska.  

Tuesday night, eight judges from Golden Valley Electric Association's Member Advisory Committee counted ballots and certified election results for two seats on GVEA's board of directors. Ron Bergh was reelected to District 5. In District 6, incumbent director Dwight Nissen was reelected. Ballots were mailed to all members residing in Districts 5 and 6 on May 7, 2004. A 10% return was required for a quorum.  

District 5 - includes the area of North Pole, the east half of Badger Road, Moose Creek, Eielson and south to the Salcha River. 

Ballots mailed: 5,369
Valid ballots returned: 733 - 13.7%
Candidates:
Ron Bergh 470 votes - 64%
Kristy Petri 263 votes - 36%
 

Bergh has served on GVEA's board since 1980. He is also Alaska's representative to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association which serves over 1,000 electric cooperatives in 47 states. Bergh was elected as its Secretary-Treasurer in 2003 and will serve as the NRECA board president in 2005-07. 

District 6 - includes Delta Junction, Fort Greely and all areas south of the Salcha River, including Harding and Birch Lakes. 

Ballots mailed: 1,317
Valid ballots returned: 335 - 25%
Candidates:
Dwight Nissen 275 votes - 82%
Fred Wood 60 votes - 18%
 

Nissen has served on the GVEA Board of Directors since 1984; he currently serves as Treasurer of the Board. Dwight serves as president on the Alaska Power Association (APA) Board of Directors and is a member of their Executive Committee. 

Incorporated in 1946, Golden Valley Electric is a member-owned cooperative. GVEA operates and maintains nearly 2,800 miles of power lines. The co-op serves 90,000 Interior residents from Cantwell north along the Parks Highway and from Fairbanks south to Fort Greely along the Richardson Highway. 

 

At the request of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA) has made a formal offer to purchase the idle Healy Clean Coal Plant (HCCP) from AIDEA and the State of Alaska. The offer calls for GVEA to pay AIDEA a fixed amount per kilowatt-hour over a 40-year period once the plant is operational. Over time this payment could amount to $70 million, depending on financing options and fuel prices. 

The HCCP acquisition means the longstanding situation regarding inoperability of the Healy Clean Coal Plant can now be resolved. All of the parties involved worked very hard to make this happen.  

The most significant risk at HCCP is that the current technology is "one of a kind." There is no other like it in the world and none on order even after 14 years. There is no operational history. The key to turning HCCP into an efficient, reliable source of electricity for the Interior is to rely on the proven technology such as Golden Valley currently uses in its existing Healy Power Plant, adjacent to HCCP.  

"We believe we've put together a deal that is the best deal for all involved," said GVEA president & CEO Steve Haagenson. "This deal benefits our members, our State, our environment and our economy. We've learned a lot from this experiment and believe we can retrofit the plant so that it will run in a safe, reliable, economic and commercially viable manner." 

"Reaching this critical point has required good faith communication, and each of the parties involved has risen to that responsibility," said GVEA board chairman Rick Schikora. "A great deal of credit needs to be given to AIDEA's new Board of Directors and management for their willingness to step forward, share information and work cooperatively toward reaching a solution." 

Special credit should be given to Governor Frank Murkowski for making resolution of the matter a top priority, both as a U.S. Senator and now, as Governor. We look forward to the Governor's support of this significant next step in resolving this priority issue for Alaska. 

Golden Valley and all Alaskans owe gratitude to our federal delegation for their continued support of developing adequate, diversified energy supply for Alaska's future. Our senators and representatives in Congress remain key to getting HCCP operational for the benefit of all Alaskans. 

Following finalization of the purchase agreement, GVEA anticipates 12-24 months to retrofit, and the plant to be operational by about 2006-2007. 

Incorporated in 1946, Golden Valley Electric is a member-owned cooperative. GVEA operates and maintains over 2,560 miles of power lines. The co-op serves 90,000 Interior residents from Cantwell north along the Parks Highway and from Fairbanks south to Fort Greely along the Richardson Highway. 

For more information, view our HCCP project page. 

On December 9, ten judges from GVEA's Member Advisory Committee counted ballots and certified election results for 11 bylaw amendments. The bylaw amendments passed by a range of 87% to 95%. These percentages satisfy the bylaw requirement of 50% approval for adoption. 

GVEA received 2,939 valid ballots which represents a 10% return from the total membership.  

Many of the proposed revisions were "housekeeping" items to eliminate redundancies in the bylaws. Other items addressed in the bylaw amendments include conversion of membership, qualifications of directors, meetings of directors, and allocation and refunds of capital credits.  

GVEA's Board of Directors is expected to ratify the election results at their regular meeting on December 15.  

Nominating committees are forming in Districts 5 and 6 to select qualified Board of Director candidates. You must live in the district in order to serve on its nominating committee, or to be an eligible Board candidate. The committees meet 2 to 3 times, between January and mid-February. 

GVEA members will begin saving money immediately as the Northern Intertie begins transferring power from the south today. The savings are a result of reduced line loss. Line loss is the energy lost in the process of transmitting power over transmission and distribution lines. The estimated reduction will save Golden Valley and its members $1.9 million annually.  

Construction of the 97-mile, 230-kilovolt transmission line between Healy and Fairbanks began in 2000. The line provides critically needed reliable, low cost energy from GVEA's Healy Power Plant, the Anchorage area and, when operational, the Healy Clean Coal Plant. 

Before construction began, Golden Valley agreed to 47 environmental stipulations for constructing and maintaining the intertie. The stipulations provided protection to the terrain and wildlife and required safety features such as lighted towers at the Tanana River crossing to ensure aircraft safety. All of the stipulations were met and many will apply to maintenance of the line.  

Golden Valley Electric President & CEO Steve Haagenson was one of nine utility experts appointed to serve on the Alaska Energy Policy Task Force. Mr. Haagenson was appointed by Senate President Gene Therriault. Other task force members include representatives from five utilities throughout Alaska and officials from several related State agencies. 

The task force was established as a result of legislation passed earlier in 2003. Its primary purpose is to review and analyze the state's current and long-term energy needs. State legislators recognize that a comprehensive long-term plan is needed for the state to promote more economic development and technological advancement. The task force will look at future generation and delivery of power for Alaska for the next 50 years. 

The first meeting of the task force was held in Anchorage on September 23. The task force will submit a long-term energy plan for utilities along the Alaska Railbelt to the Legislature by the end of this year and for rural utilities across the state by March 31, 2004. 

Golden Valley Electric Association has selected the following 12 community members for its Green Power Advisory Committee: 

Joseph Beedle Scott Bell Henry Cole, PhD Dr. John N. Davies Tom DeLong Joe Durrenberger

Greg Egan Ron Johnson Lissa R. Robertson Dr. William M. Sackinger Kelly Hill Scanlon Rich Seifert

 

Golden Valley selected members based on interest and expertise in alternative energy.  

Committee members will meet four times between October 2003 and March 2004. They will work with the cooperative's Alternative Energy Committee to:

• Review Green Power criteria developed by the co-op's Alternative
Energy Team
• Develop recommendations for GVEA's Green Power ventures
• Evaluate funding options

 

The goal for the committee is to present recommendations to Golden Valley's board of directors next March. Any board-approved recommendations would be announced at the Annual Members' Meeting in April 2004. 

Creation of the GPAC results from feedback received during a recent member survey and an advisory resolution passed at the co-op's Annual Members' Meeting last April. Golden Valley received nearly 40 applications. 

The co-op formed a similar committee more than a decade ago to address energy efficiency. Golden Valley's three popular Energy$ense programs grew out of an Energy Advisory Committee's efforts.  

Golden Valley Electric Association celebrated the energizing of its battery energy storage system (BESS). Officials from four countries and a dozen companies arrived in Fairbanks to attend the private dedication ceremony. The ribbon cutting took place at the BESS Bidwell Avenue site on August 26.  

The BESS is now in its testing phase. When complete in December, the $35 million BESS will deliver 27 megawatts of power for 15 minutes. Fifteen minutes is long enough for the co-op to start local backup generation in the event there are generation problems in Anchorage or the Intertie goes off-line. The BESS will stabilize the local grid and reduce its vulnerability to events like the recent blackout in the north eastern US and Canada.  

At the heart of the world's most powerful storage battery are two core components: the Nickel-Cadmium (Ni-Cad) batteries, developed by Saft, and the converter, designed and supplied by ABB. The converter changes the batteries' DC power into AC power ready for use in GVEA's transmission system. Three of the four strings of batteries are complete; the fourth string is expected to be complete by the end of 2003. 

The BESS will eventually comprise a total of 13,760 rechargeable nickel-cadmium cells from Saft. The batteries have an anticipated life of 20-30 years after which Saft will be responsible for recycling and/or disposing of them. 

Nearly 3,000 Golden Valley Electric Association members will be affected by a power outage on Monday, July 21 from approximately 4:30 a.m. until 6 a.m. The outage is necessary in order for the co-op to perform necessary maintenance at two substations north of Fairbanks.  

Areas affected include:

• Farmer Loop East ? McGrath Road, Skyline Drive and Skyridge Road
• Steese & Old Steese Highways ? Gilmore Trail, Hagelbarger, Fox and Chatanika>
• Steese Highway to 4 Mile Chena Hot Springs Road including Steele Creek Road
• Elliot Highway ? Haystack/Hilltop

 

"We want to let these members know ahead of time to prevent any surprises on Monday morning. We don?t want to be the cause for members being late for work on Monday morning," says GVEA spokeswoman Corinne Bradish. "Even though alarm clocks with battery backup are a good idea, not everyone has one." 

Substations switch, change or regulate electric voltage. They serve as a control and transfer point on an electrical transmission system. Substations route and control electrical power flow, transform voltage levels and serve as delivery points to subdivisions and industrial customers. Golden Valley owns and operates 31 substations, including one mobile unit.  

In honor of Kay Sandlin?s retirement, Golden Valley Electric Association is hosting an open house on Friday, July 18 from 1 to 5 p.m. in the co-op?s Delta office. Sandlin, GVEA?s Member Services Representative in the Delta Junction office, is retiring after 30 years of dedicated service to the cooperative and the community. All Delta-area members are invited to stop by to thank Kay and wish her a happy retirement. Members will also have the opportunity to meet new Delta office employees, Donna Morgan and Lana Zhdanov.  

Three Golden Valley employees were part of the first group of seven graduates from the Alaska Certified Public Manager (CPM) program. Land Management Supervisor Cheryl Laudert, Transmission & Distribution Office Assistant Donna Rose and Capital Credits Supervisor Pat Thomas were awarded the prestigious designation of Certified Public Manager and inducted into the American Academy of Certified Public Managers. UAF President Mark Hamilton bestowed this honor at a graduation ceremony held at UAF on May 22, 2003.  

The CPM program is a nationally accredited management development program created by the American Academy of Certified Public Managers. It is being administered by the University of Alaska and is designed to develop management, supervision and leadership skills in the public and private sectors.  

To complete the program, students completed 300 hours of training modules taken from a variety of topics ranging from entry level supervisory skills to executive management skills, and the Golden Valley employees completed a required practicum within the coop. President & CEO Steve Haagenson highly praises the program and is promoting it within GVEA as an effective tool for continuous learning.  

Tuesday night, five judges from Golden Valley Electric Association's Member Advisory Committee counted ballots and certified election results for two seats on GVEA's board of directors. Bill Digan was elected to District 4. Digan served on GVEA's board from 1984 to 1997 when he lost the election by one vote to Don Woodke. In District 7, incumbent director Bill Nordmark was reelected. Ballots were mailed to all members residing in Districts 4 and 7 on May 9, 2003. A 10% return was required for a quorum. 

District 4 - includes the general area east of the Old Steese Highway and north of the Chena River including Fox, Chatanika, Haystack/Hilltop, Chena Hot Springs Road, Gilmore Trail, Birch Hill, Island Homes and downtown Fairbanks, west to Lathrop Street. 

Ballots mailed: 5,702	Valid ballots returned:	1,114 - 19.5%
Candidates:	Bill Digan	631 votes - 57%
	Don Woodke	483 votes - 43%

 

Digan is a 27-year resident of Alaska and has 30 years experience in the electrical field. He recently retired after 15 years with Golden Heart Utilities and is currently self-employed as the owner of Back to Basic Recycling business. Digan is certified as a National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Credentialed Cooperative Director and serves as president of City of Fairbanks Federal Credit Union Board. He will be seated at the July 23 board meeting. 

District 7 - includes the areas of Nenana, Clear, Anderson, Healy, McKinley Village and Cantwell. 

Ballots mailed: 1,009	Valid ballots returned:	316 - 31.5%
Candidates:	Bill Nordmark	207 votes - 66%
	Frank Talerico	109 votes - 34%

 

Nordmark is a 50-year resident of Alaska and owns Motel Nord Haven. He is certified as a National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Credentialed Cooperative Director and serves as the Secretary for the GVEA Board of Directors, Chairman for the GVEA Scholarship Committee, and is a member of the Alaska Rural Electric Cooperative Association's Board of Insurance Trustees.  

Tuesday night 1,269 members registered at Golden Valley Electric Association's 56th Annual Members' Meeting. Members received a registration bonus of either a $15 credit applied to their membership account or a 23-watt compact fluorescent bulb and enjoyed the electrical safety demonstration, a video tour of BESS - GVEA's Battery Energy Storage System, informational displays and refreshments in the Pioneer Room prior to the business meeting.  

Prizes drawn at the end of the meeting were won by:

• Dale Rankin - Green Star lunchbox, travel mug and t-shirt
• Debra DeLong - DVD/VCR player and Blockbuster movie card
• Robin "Red" Miller - $500 cash
• Mary Delaney - $500 cash
• Harold Starkel - $500 cash
• Juanita Hendricks - $500 cash
• Margaret Fair - $1,500 cash
• William Anderson - $2,000 cash

 

The meeting began at 7:30 p.m. and adjourned at 8:55 p.m.  

On Saturday, May 17, Golden Valley Electric Association will hold its 12th Arbor Day Tree Giveaway. The co-op will be giving away 4,000 two-to-three foot Nanking Cherry and Wien Crabapple trees - one per family. The event is scheduled from 9 a.m. - noon, while supplies last, in the Fairbanks facilities parking lot on Illinois Street.  

The tree giveaway is GVEA's kick-off for the co-op's right-of-way reclearing program. The event educates members to plant the right tree in the right place. These saplings will grow to a height of 12 feet and would be appropriately placed outside of a right-of-way. This will prevent hours of future maintenance for the co-op's reclearing crews.  

GVEA's Delta and Nenana offices will have a limited supply. Please call those offices for details.  

• $10,000 academic scholarship - Lisa Smith, a North Pole High School senior. Lisa is being awarded $2,500 a year for four years.
• $2,000 academic scholarship - Chinonye Chukwu, a West Valley High School senior
• $2,000 academic scholarship - Rachel Craig, a IDEA Home School senior
• $2,000 vocational scholarship - Jessica Brewster, a Cantwell High School, Healy senior
• $1,000 academic scholarship - Jason Hackenmiller, a Monroe High School senior.
• $1,000 vocational scholarship - Peter Miller, a Delta High School senior
• $1,000 continuing education scholarship - Zachary Via who will continue to attend the University of New Hampshire
• $1,000 continuing education scholarship - Stephen Howe who will continue to attend the University of Alaska Fairbanks

 

Golden Valley Electric will award $20,000 in scholarships these eight graduating high school seniors and continuing education students at their Annual Members' Meeting on April 29 at the Carlson Center. This is GVEA's second year offering scholarships which cover academic, vocational and continuing education.  

To be eligible, the applicant, or a member of the applicant's immediate family must be a member of Golden Valley Electric. The application deadline was February 14, 2003.  

These scholarships, funded by unclaimed capital credits, support education for cooperative members. The Alaska Rural Electric Cooperative Association's Education Foundation manages the funds for the co-op.  

From left to right: John Rosenow, Presedent, National Arbor Day Foundation presents the Tree Line USA award to Golden Valley's Pat McArdle.

Golden Valley Electric Association has earned designation as a Tree Line USA utility through the National Arbor Day Foundation. GVEA's right-of-way maintenance superintendent Pat McArdle accepted the national award at the National Arbor Day Foundation's Trees and Utilities National Conference in Nebraska in March. The Tree Line USA designation recognizes utilities that meet three requirements: a program of quality tree care, annual worker training in quality tree care practices and a tree planting and public education program.  

McArdle fills an additional qualification that the utility have a certified arborist on board. As an arborist, McArdle is educated in the areas of tree identification, pests and diseases, tree and soil relations, climbing safety and pruning.  

GVEA's annual tree giveaway is part of this educational program, the event promotes planting the right tree near power lines, and over the past twelve years, the co-op has given away 36,000 trees. This year's tree giveaway is scheduled for May 17 and GVEA will hand out Wien Crabapple and Nanking Cherry trees.  

Nationwide, 97 electric companies have earned the designation as Tree Line USA utilities. Golden Valley is the third utility in the state to achieve this status.  

Pictured are, from left, vice president of member and employee services Dave Gardner, job training and safety assistant Pete Mondelli, job training and safety officer Phil Newton and Cliff Hustead from the Alaska Department of Labor.

Golden Valley Electric Association was the recipient of the 2003 Governor's Safety Award of Excellence which was presented in March at the Annual Governor's Safety and Health Conference in Anchorage. GVEA earned the prestigious award for its exemplary safety program which includes employee training, facility/equipment maintenance, hazard reporting and emergency planning.  

In addition to meeting training levels required by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, the co-op offers safety and first aid training to all employees. Employees have put that training to use, assisting people in the Interior and even saving some lives. "Accidents don't just happen - they are caused," stated president and CEO Steve Haagenson. "By determining and working with the causes, accidents can be prevented. We're proud of all our employees for their daily efforts to operate in and maintain safe working conditions."  

Incorporated in 1946, Golden Valley Electric is a member-owned cooperative. GVEA operates and maintains over 2,560 miles of power lines. The co-op serves 90,000 Interior residents from Cantwell north along the Parks Highway and from Fairbanks south to Fort Greely along the Richardson Highway.  

The Alaska Safety Advisory Council (ASAC) is a group of 14 members representing industry, labor, the general public, and federal, state and local governments. The ASAC works with organizations to promote safety so resources can be marshaled and used to reduce the menace of accidental death and injury. The council serves at the pleasure of the Governor and makes recommendations to the Governor/Legislature on state policy and programs that deal with the safety and health of Alaskans.  

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) awarded its 2004 Technology Achievement Award to Golden Valley Electric Association for its Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) on February 15 at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) annual meeting in New Orleans. EPRI presents this annual award to an electric cooperative for their leadership in electricity-related technologies.  

The BESS can provide 27 megawatts of power for 15 minutes and during testing set a world record by maintaining 46 MW for 5 minutes. Being able to produce 46 MW makes the BESS the most powerful battery energy storage system in the world in terms of MW output. Since it became fully operational in November 2003, it has proven its reliability by diverting numerous power-supply related outages. The BESS is so seamless members don't even know it's at work. 

A second award was presented to Tim DeVries, GVEA's Manager of Engineering Services, and according to EPRI technical staff, the project manager who "really made it happen." DeVries said, "This was truly a global project with companies from nine countries participating in the concept, design and construction." 

Golden Valley President & CEO Steve Haagenson accepted the awards on behalf of GVEA and Tim DeVries. Haagenson said, "The BESS is a first-class project that will provide exceptional value to our members for years to come."