The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly adopted a resolution classifying and reclassifying certain borough managed land in the Moose Pass area. Alaska Electric and Energy Cooperative, doing business as Kenai Hydro, LLC submitted a petition for classification/reclassification of borough land in the area in support of the Grant Lake Hydroelectric Project, which received a Final Environmental Impact Statement in May 2019. They are working with the Kenai Peninsula Borough and State of Alaska to acquire surface use authorizations.
The resolution that was adopted classifies or reclassifies 13.32 acres of land as utility/transportation. All but one of the land units were classified as recreational. The remaining areas of the land outside of the project corridor will remain classified as recreational or undesigned.
Mike Salzetti, Manager of Fuel Supply & Renewable Energy Development at Homer Electric Association told the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly:
“I’m here to speak in favor of Resolution 2022-038 to reclassify a very narrow area of land for the road and the transmission line for this project. It does not request reclassification of any other portion of those partials. The reason that this reclassification was requested is that this land was transferred to the Borough through municipal entitlement on lands that we had requested an easement and a lease with for the Borough. The Grant Lake Hydroelectric Project will allow the Homer Electric Association’s Board of Directors to help reach its goal of achieving 50% renewables by the end of 2025.”
The proposed project is to be located at the south end of Grant Lake and south of Grant Creek and would generate about 18,600 megawatt-hours of energy annually.
Public notice was published, and notification was sent to landowners and/or leaseholders of record within a one-half mile radius of the land proposed for classification, and to applicable departments, agencies, the Moose Pass Advisory Planning Commission and interested parties.
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