Tag Archives: Fairbanks Economic Development Corporation

Funding biomass fuels may be a hurdle

From the Fairbanks Daily Newsminer July 19, 2008

Proponents of a plant that would make liquid fuels out of coal say such a facility could be the solution to high energy costs in Fairbanks and Interior villages.

However, a financial specialist warned that private-sector financing will be hard to find without some government assistance, either as cash, loan guarantees or off-take agreements.

The borough and Fairbanks Economic Development Corporation have proposed building a plant that would produce between 20,000 and 40,000 barrels of liquid fuel a day from coal and biomass — a plant that would probably cost at least several billion dollars.

High-ranking officials from the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Air Force, as well as more local players, gathered Friday in Fairbanks to discuss how to fast-track a biomass and coal-to-liquids facility. They heard from seven speakers representing pieces of the project.

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Energy summit to focus on gasification facility

From the Fairbanks Daily Newsminer July 15, 2008

High-ranking federal and state officials will be in Fairbanks this week for an energy summit hosted by borough Mayor Jim Whitaker and U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens to fast-track a plant to turn coal and biomass into power, fuel and heat for Interior Alaska.

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Newsminer: Borough declares an energy emergency

From The Fairbanks Daily Newsminer May 9th, 2008

The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly on Thursday declared skyrocketing energy costs a public emergency and prepared to put state aid, aimed at boosting energy efficiency in homes, on the fast track.

Borough officials said they’ll team with the Cold Climate Housing Research Center to get the rebate program on the fast track by training energy raters and contractors.

John Davies, a director at the research center, said the community needs many more trained and certified energy raters — he estimated one-third of homes in Fairbanks could stand to see significant energy-efficiency upgrades.

“If we work really hard we might be able to get to between two (thousand) and four thousand (homes) before the end of this season,” Davies said.

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Newsminer: Borough officials lay foundation for energy program

From the Fairbanks Daily Newsminer May 5, 2008

The borough hopes to declare a public emergency — stemming from the skyrocketing cost of heating buildings and fueling cars — at a special meeting Thursday night, when Mayor Jim Whitaker and Borough Assembly member Kelly Brown will also propose setting aside $1.3 million, a combination of borough general funds and state aid, for a large-scale alternative energy project…

“Borough citizens and businesses have struggled valiantly to pay for these life-sustaining necessities and the … community cannot continue to pay these current rates, much less those anticipated in the immediate future,” Brown and Whitaker wrote.

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