18 days short of gas

ENSTAR President John Sims told Alaska lawmakers at a legislative hearing on Southcentral Alaska's natural gas shortage that his company is 18 days short of the natural gas it needs to meet demand in a normal winter. ENSTAR serves more than 136,000 customers across Anchorage, the Mat-Su Valley and the Kenai Peninsula. Department of Natural Resources Commissioner John Crowther told lawmakers, "We do have a problem."

Sims said ENSTAR does not have enough gas on hand to prevent brownouts, and Chugach Electric has raised the possibility of cutting back the power it delivers to customers. Whether either happens depends on how cold the winter gets.

Several longer term fixes are under discussion, none of them quick. They include importing liquefied natural gas by ship, expanding the Bradley Lake hydroelectric plant, building the Cook Inlet Power Link, a 38-mile subsea transmission cable, upgrading the Sterling to Soldotna to Quartz Creek transmission corridor, and the long-discussed Susitna-Watana hydro project. Alaska Energy Authority CEO Curtis Thayer said, "We don't have a silver bullet."

Lawmakers are set to hear testimony from Chugach Electric, Hilcorp and HEX in September. Legislation addressing the shortage is expected during the January legislative session. None of the proposed fixes would be in place before this winter.