Alaskan Electric Coop gets federal contract

In Alaska, Naknek Electric Association Inc. has won a $2.9 million federal contract to identify and test the geothermal resource at Pike’s Ridge site in King Salmon for utility scale electric generation and district heating applications. The money will be used to drill into potential geothermal sources. NEA began researching local geothermal energy potential over 10 years ago and learned that drilling technology now supports development of resources at deeper depths and possibly outside the Katmai National Park and Preserve – where the search began – and close to existing road and electric distribution infrastructure. The plan overall calls for a 25 MW geothermal generation facility and 450 miles of transmission lines to bring electric energy to 25 villages at a cost of $200 million.