An Alaskan village council has applied to the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a final pilot licence for the Igiugig hydrokinetic project on the Kvichak River.
The Igiugig council is the federally recognised tribe and serves as the tribal government for the Igiugig community (pictured) which lives at the southwest tip of Lake Iliamna.
The hydrokinetic project would generate electricity from water currents in the river using a RivGen power system provided by ORPC from 2019 and deliver about half of the community’s energy needs.
RivGen uses in-stream turbines that require no dams or barrages, allow continued river navigation and operate in harmony with fish habitat, ORPC said.
The project would reduce the community’s reliance on diesel fuel and lower electricity costs from the current price of $0.91 per kilowatt-hour, it added.
Igiugig selected ORPC as its technology, project development and services provider after a competitive process in 2014.
Igiugig and ORPC partnered on demonstration projects in 2014 and 2015 to verify engineering design, collect and analyse environmental data and install, maintain and retrieve RivGen using locally-available personnel, vessels and equipment.
Igiugig village council president AlexAnna Salmon said: “Igiugig is guided by our mission to provide resources, programs, and infrastructure to enhance the quality of life of the villagers, and specifically to advance goals for renewable, sustainable energy.
“We are pleased to be working with ORPC to assist with long-term solutions to the community’s energy challenges.”
ORPC chairman, co-founder and chief executive Christopher Sauer said: “This project is a critical and positive step forward in reducing the cost and environmental impacts of electricity generation in Igiugig and remote communities globally.
“The project’s reliability and environmental suitability will be a catalyst for accelerated market adoption of marine renewable energy elsewhere in Alaska, and throughout northern Canada and other remote communities worldwide.”