On April 8, the ADN ran two commentaries side by side that had opposing opinions about large hydroelectric dams. The previous, now retired Alaska Energy Authority Susitna Dam project manager’s “Re-imagining the Susitna- Watana hydroelectric project” essentially greenwashed the dam as a cure-all for aquatic habitat and water quality, saying it could mitigate climate change impacts. Never mind all the scientific data that proves the opposite.
The Conservation Fund’s Brad Meiklejohn in “Swept Away by the Eklutna” said Alaska has one thing the rest of the world doesn’t have: wild salmon. And why? Because we didn’t dam our rivers.
The time for large dams is past. Extreme changes in precipitation, glacier depletion, drought, air and water temperature rise, to name a few, mean dams bring grid risk. In 2023, the hydro utilities in Manitoba, Quebec and British Columbia could not provide the needed electricity due to drought. They had to buy power from Alberta and the U.S. or switch to fossil fuels. Almost every major hydro producer in Canada has reported major financial losses in 2023-2024 due to low water conditions.
These examples are chilling. We do not know what the future holds for the Susitna watershed.
The risks are too great for a large dam. From the effects on salmon habitat to seismic issues and just plain public opposition, which will not go away, shows the risks to proceed. The recently released National Renewable Energy Lab study showed that for Railbelt electricity, 76% of renewable energy generation can be reached by 2040 with new wind and solar projects, resulting in savings of about $1.8 billion total compared to a scenario with no new renewables added. This negates the need for the Susitna Dam.
No to the zombie — never seems to die — project Susitna Dam. We need projects that are scalable, redundant and resilient.
— Becky Long
Talkeetna
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