Tag: homer electric association

Power On, Power Off

by Jenny Chissus
Living in Seldovia, across the bay – over 17 miles from Homer by water or air – you would be amazed at the amount of comfort we enjoy in this quaint community off the road system!

We have HEA (Homer Electric) who provides the city and surrounding areas with electricity, within the city limits we have city water and sewer  (Thank you Seldovia City!) and ACS provides great cell service, land lines and internet (some of the highest DSL on the peninsula – you can subscribe to over 7mbps) and I know GCI serves some folks here for cell phone service as well as SpitwSpots for internet.  We are totally connected!  Living, truly in the lap of luxury in the wilderness of Alaska!!

However, Sunday, we had many brown-outs until the lights flickered off for the last time!  Snow was coming down, and the snow loads were heavy in multiple locations, causing problems in the line somewhere, causing our power to shut down.  Fortunately for Seldovia, we have a generation plant that has the capability to power our city and out the road to Jakolof during times like these!  So, we were back on line – but around 8pm the power went off in a more permanent fashion, as the generation plant lost power due to a faulty main breaker.  So now our backup was inoperable!  Nightfall Continue Reading

HEA Power Update

by Joe Gallagher

February 25, 1:20 PM – Due to heavy snowfall on the power lines over the weekend, Seldovia, Port Graham and Nanwalek experienced power outages.  Because of a main breaker issue, the Gerry Willard Generation Plant went offline.  HEA crews flew to Seldovia this morning and replaced the main breaker at the plant and power was then restored to Seldovia at 11:10 a.m.  Port Graham is currently on Port Graham generation at this time.

February 24, 8:30 PM – South Kachemak Bay Update: Power is currently out in the Seldovia area and the outage is expected to last through the night. The outage extends from Seldovia to McKeon Flats and is affecting 510 HEA members. The outage, which began at approximately 8 pm, was caused by a fault on the main power line somewhere between Jakolof Bay and McKeon Flats. HEA crews will patrol the line at first light on Monday to locate the problem and make repairs. The Gerry Willard Generation Plant in Seldovia is unable to provide backup power due to a problem with a large electrical breaker at the power plant.

Joe Gallagher
Public Relations Coordinator
Homer Electric Association
Kenai, AK 99611
907-283-2324
907-398-3478 (cell)

February 24, 5:00 PM – South Kachemak Bay Update: HEA crews have completed restoration work in the Seldovia area and the area is back on regular station power. Port Graham and Nanwalek continue to be served through the generator in Port Graham.

February 24, 9:30 am – The communities of Nanwalek, Port Graham and most of Seldovia are without power this morning. The area was being served by the Gerry Willard Generation Plant in Seldovia, but the plant is now off line. HEA crews are planning, weather permitting, to fly over to Seldovia this morning to address the situation.

There are approximately 65 meters that continue to have power in town. The rest do not, due to faults likely caused by snow load.