SACRAMENTO, CA — The City of Akutan, Alaska is presenting the results of its successful geothermal exploratory drilling program at the 34th annual meeting of the Geothermal Resources Council in Sacramento, California. The City intends to develop power from high-temperature geothermal fluids recently discovered in the Hot Springs Bay Valley of Akutan Island, 735 miles southwest of Anchorage.

Two exploratory wells were drilled to characterize the power and heat output capacity of Akutan’s geothermal resource. AK Geothermal, a geoscience consulting firm, is managing the technical elements of the project. AK Geothermal project manager, Amanda Kolker Ph.D., is presenting the preliminary findings of the drilling program to conference attendees.

Among the preliminary findings reported by Dr. Amanda Kolker is the following assessment: Akutan slimhole wells encountered very high geothermal gradients, two-phase fluid (water and steam) at 359° F; and evidence for a reservoir of even hotter fluid that could be accessible by drilling. “These extremely encouraging results mean that the resource could likely support planned geothermal energy development at Akutan,” Kolker said.

The City will now move to the production drilling phase of the project, which involves system design, cost estimating and permitting, according to Ray Mann of RMA Consulting Group, the City’s Program Manager.

“All indications are that we have a production-quality resource in Hot Springs Bay Valley that will support our plan to develop a 10-12 Megawatt power system,” said Mann. “As a result, the City expects to complete its business plan in early 2011 in order to arrange financing for the project.”

Contacts:

Ray Mann – RMA Consulting Group; Akutan Geothermal Program Manager
Cell (907) 632-4553; Email: [encode_email email="raymann@rmabs.com?subject=Contact from RMA Website" display="raymann@rmabs.com"]

Laura Tanis, Communications Manager, Aleutians East Borough
Phone: (907) 274-7579; Cell (907) 947-5778; Email: [encode_email email="ltanis@aeboro.org?subject=Contact from RMA Website" display="ltanis@aeboro.org"]

Alaska Business Monthly
Published: August 12, 2010

AKUTAN, AK — The City of Akutan is in hot water, but that’s a good thing. The first of two geothermal energy exploration wells has produced water in excess of 360 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the project’s geotechnical team, the early results point to a geothermal resource that could put Akutan on the fast track for developing Alaska’s first large-scale geothermal power system.

“The community has decided that renewable energy is our future,” said Akutan Mayor Joe Bereskin. “The results from our first test well make me optimistic that the future will be here sooner, rather than later,” he added.

Akutan is a volcanic island 730 miles west of Anchorage in the center of the Bering Sea fishery. The City hosts North America’s largest seafood plant, owned by Trident Seafoods. The plant processes more than three million pounds of fish products per day, making Akutan the second-largest fishing port in the United States, based on pounds delivered.

With existing demand, the addition of a new harbor, a project to build a new airport and marine link and other capital improvements, power demand could easily top ten megawatts during the next several years. The solution is clean, renewable geothermal energy. Geothermal energy should also be able to eliminate most or all of the need for heating fuel on the island. With this and other planned projects such as geothermal greenhouses, Akutan could well become the first fossil-fuel-free village in Alaska.

Project Manager Amanda Kolker says crews have been drilling for geothermal energy since mid-July, 2010.

“The Akutan geothermal resource is very hot at exceptionally shallow depths,” Kolker explained. “This, in addition to the remoteness of Akutan Island, has made the drilling program logistically challenging. But it is worth it. The results have already exceeded our expectations. Before drilling commenced, we could only speculate about the resource. All evidence pointed towards a high-quality and relatively accessible geothermal resource within several miles of the village, but now we have proof. We are very encouraged by the results so far,” she said.

The next step is to use the results of exploratory drilling to complete a preliminary design of the system and cost estimates that can be presented to investors. If all goes well, Akutan’s dependence on diesel fuel for power and heating could become a thing of the past in as little as two years.

Anchorage Daily News
Published: February 23, 2010

KENAI — The state Transportation Department is planning a new airport for the city of Akutan by the fall of 2012.

Radio station KSRM reports PenAir has been warning for years that it would have to stop serving the island in the Aleutian chain because of the age of its World War II-era plane called the Grumman Goose. Local, state and federal officials have planned a $75 million airport project for the community of less than 1,000 people, which is also home to a large Trident Fish Processing facility.

Akutan Mayor Joe Bereskin says single-engine float planes cannot land in the bay due to sometimes dangerous weather around Akutan Island. So, the Department of Transportation proposed the airport for nearby Akun Island with a hovercraft to take passengers to Akutan.

DOT manager Judy Chapman and Akutan Airport project manager Tom Schmid say the airport will cost $64 million — $59 million in federal money and $5 million from the state.

The hovercraft will cost $11 million, with state and federal funding and $1 million from Seattle-based Trident Seafoods.

The Transportation Department expects to award the contract for the project this summer.