Introduction

The Knik-Willow Transmission Line Project initially involved building approximately 25 miles of new electrical transmission line between the Teeland (Knik) and Douglas (Willow) substations for the Alaska Intertie. The Alaska Energy Authority requested that the Project Team expand the scope of the project to investigate construction of a 230 kV (kilovolt) circuit from Lake Lorraine area near Point Mackenzie to Willow rather than from Knik to Willow. This expansion will also require a new switchyard near Lake Lorraine, about three miles northwest of the new Point MacKenzie Port.

This configuration would increase the reliability of the entire electric grid, decrease the chance of a system-wide blackout, and could provide power to the Matanuska Valley and Interior Alaska. This will allow Matanuska Electric Association to reclaim their 20-mile segment of the existing system, which the State of Alaska currently uses to move power between Southcentral Alaska and the Interior. The team is still evaluating possible alignments for the line. The routes under consideration will be about 45 miles long. Please see the February 2009 Project Newsletter for more information.

The Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) is preparing a 50-year Regional Integrated Resource Plan (RIRP) for electrical power generation and transmission within the Railbelt Region. The RIRP is scheduled to be completed around October 2009. The RIRP will analyze power demands, current facilities, electrical capacity and growth potential, projected fuel sources and prices, and other related factors over the next 50 years. After its completion, the anticipated Railbelt Electrical Grid Authority will use the RIRP as a planning guide for future generation and transmission projects.

AEA requested that the Project Team ensure the Knik-Willow Transmission Line Project is integrated with the RIRP. The RIRP will identify potential combinations of power generation and transmission facility projects in the Railbelt and could affect the scope of the Knik-Willow project, including the width of the project right-of-way and the electrical tower configuration.