The proposed 1.5MW project will provide Tok and surrounding communities of interior Alaska with clean, affordable energy as an alternative to diesel-fired generators currently supplying 100% of the region’s electricity.
A joint venture, Upper Tanana Energy has been formed by three entities to develop the Yerrick Creek project.
The power generated by the $15m project will be sold to Alaska Power Company, a subsidiary of Alaska Power & Telephone, under a long-term power sales agreement.
The hydro project will supply 4.9 million kWh of clean energy per year, which is enough to replace 375,000 gallons of diesel fuel per year, or approximately 40% of the Tok and upper Tanana region’s electrical load.
The Yerrick Creek is a small, low impact run-of-river hydro project with an estimated lifespan at over 50 years, assuring a clean, reliable supply of affordable power to the Upper Tanana region.
Tanacross CEO Robert Brean said: "Yerrick Creek offers an opportunity for our corporation to utilize our Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act lands to provide cleaner, more affordable power for the benefit of everyone in the region."
Tanacross Native Village representative Jeffery Weltzin said: "Yerrick Creek will play an important role supporting Governor Sean Parnell’s goal of 50% of Alaska’s energy being supplied from renewable sources by 2025."
