Be
prepared, not panicked!
Winter in Alaska
is a beautiful time of year, but it does require all of us to
take some extra precautions. Now is a great time to make sure you have extra supplies
in your home such as a flashlight, extra batteries, drinking
water and blankets – just in case of a power outage. ML&P has very few outages and when we do, we make
sure that they are as short in duration as possible.
The natural gas
supply in
Cook Inlet
has been on a downward trend for several years and while a
shortfall this winter is not likely, it is a situation we want
to be prepared for. The
electric utilities, gas producers, the liquefied natural gas
(LNG) facility and ENSTAR have worked together behind the scenes
for many years to ensure that there is enough gas supply for
electric power and heating needs for all customers throughout
Southcentral Alaska
and the Railbelt.
ML&P,
ENSTAR and Chugach have contracted for sufficient gas supplies
to meet our customers’ needs in the winter of 2009-10.
There is no known reason to believe that sufficient
quantities of gas cannot be delivered to meet the needs of all
of our customers. In
the event of a long period of extreme cold which causes the
pressure in the Beluga
River
gas field to decline, there are concerns that the ability of the
gas production and transportation network to deliver gas may not
match the demand.
Gas
Contingency Plan
ML&P has
joined with Chugach Electric Association, Matanuska Electric
Association, ENSTAR, Homer Electric Association and the
Municipality
of
Anchorage
to ensure that in the event of a temporary problem with natural
gas deliverability, a plan is in place to deal with the
situation.
In the event of
a gas shortfall, there are steps that the electric utilities
will take to reduce non-essential load and gas consumption.
If these steps do not reduce gas consumption enough,
customers will be asked to take voluntary steps to conserve
energy. The
customer action plan is outlined in an Energy Watch Chart (click
here) with a descending hierarchy of actions that can be
taken to address a potential gas deliverability problem.
ML&P has the ability to generate electricity using
diesel fuel and will be able to “free up” gas supplies if
necessary.
Customers will
only be asked, through a public appeal from government
officials, to take extra conservation steps in the event of an
emergency. All
customers throughout Southcentral will be asked to take the same
steps, as indicated on the Energy Watch Chart.
Simple actions that would be the most helpful
include lowering the thermostat, turning down the setting on the
hot water heater, postponing doing laundry and dish washing,
turning off unused lights and electronics, and consolidating
family activities into one room of the home.
Public
Information Updates
Updated
information will be available throughout Southcentral Alaska via
radio spots, television commercials and here on our website.
