FERC takes comment through Oct. 15 on dropping Tyee-Petersburg line from hydro license

A 79.5-mile transmission line that carries Tyee Lake power north to Petersburg would come out from under federal license oversight. Jurisdiction over its right-of-way would convert to the current landowners, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's notice says, without naming them. A related FERC notice says the project occupies U.S. Forest Service land in the Tongass National Forest.

The Southeast Alaska Power Agency filed the request on June 29, 2026, asking the commission to amend the Tyee Lake Project license and delete the Tyee-Petersburg line. The commission accepted the application and is taking comments, protests and motions to intervene until 5 p.m. Eastern on Oct. 15, in a notice signed by Secretary Debbie-Anne A. Reese. A protest is a filing, not a demonstration.

SEAPA states that with the construction of the connected Swan-Tyee Intertie, the line joining the two systems, the Tyee-Petersburg line is no longer a primary transmission line for the project and is not part of the licensed project. The filing proposes no physical changes to the line. SEAPA says it would continue to operate and maintain the line as it has in the past.

The Tyee Lake Project sits on Tyee Creek in Wrangell Borough. The 22.6-megawatt facility supplies power to Wrangell and Petersburg, the two communities on the north end of the SEAPA system.

This is the second such request this year. A parallel application to strip the 30.5-mile Swan-to-Bailey line from SEAPA's Swan Lake license, docket P-2911-046, carries the same Oct. 15 deadline. SEAPA opened relicensing in April; the license expires in 2031 and the new application is due July 31, 2029.

Brief comments go through FERC's eComment system. Filings should carry docket number P-3015-023. Comments emailed to commission staff are not part of the record. Only those who file a motion to intervene become parties to the proceeding. FERC's contact is Steven Sachs, (202) 502-8666. SEAPA's is Chief Executive Robert Siedman, (907) 228-2281.