Golden Valley says it can't exempt medical-device users from rolling outages

If Golden Valley Electric Association has to start rolling power outages, it won't be able to spare homes where people rely on electric medical equipment, the Interior cooperative told members Monday.

The outages would be expected to last 30 to 60 minutes at a time, though members should prepare for longer, GVEA said, repeating guidance it published Nov. 6.

The reason is how the outages work. GVEA would cut power to whole sections of its grid, one after another, so every member in a section loses power at once. State regulators approved that plan in October. Homes left out of the rotation are those on the same power lines as critical sites like Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, police and fire, the airport and water treatment, according to GVEA.

GVEA told members who rely on medical devices to get ready the same way they would for a storm outage, and to have an emergency plan that doesn't count on getting a warning first. Questions about medical risks, backup equipment or when to relocate should go to medical professionals and emergency services, the cooperative said. Members who depend on medical equipment may also qualify for more time to pay if they face disconnection over unpaid bills.

GVEA has already issued warnings this fall. It issued its first energy emergency alert Oct. 12, when two generators were down for planned maintenance and a third had an unexpected mechanical problem. Alerts reached Level 2 in October; a Level 3 alert is what activates the rolling-outage program. GVEA's alert page has shown normal operations since Oct. 24.