Chugach Electric Association’s headquarters is seen in Anchorage. (Photo by Nathaniel Herz/Northern Journal)
A green power advocacy group says Anchorage’s electric utility is thwarting its efforts to propose an energy-saving payment scheme for customers, and it’s asking state regulators to step in to force the utility to hand over detailed data.
The data request by Renewable Energy Alaska Project , an Anchorage-based nonprofit, has prompted a torrent of opposition from Chugach Electric Association , the city’s big power cooperative, and an array of other utilities in the region. They’ve asked the Regulatory Commission of Alaska to deny the request from the nonprofit, known as REAP.
The utilities say REAP is asking for sensitive data about each customer’s energy use and that disclosure would amount to an invasion of privacy.
REAP says it would keep the data confidential but that it’s needed to design a set of rates for Chugach’s member-customers aimed at reducing the consumption of natural gas. The Anchorage-area utility that distributes gas for home and commercial heating, Enstar, has warned that the region faces a shortfall as soon as next year, and electric utilities also depend on the fuel to generate the vast majority of their power.