Nikiski
RSSNews from Nikiski, Alaska
Alaska Energy Authority opens prequalification for Cook Inlet power cable builders
Alaska Energy Authority is screening companies to build an undersea power cable linking Beluga and Nikiski, with responses due Dec. 15.

Alaska has $27 million to get PFAS and other contaminants out of drinking water
Alaska has $27 million in federal money to get PFAS out of drinking water. Most of the projects lined up for it are about a different problem: manganese.

Legislative committee has no oil and gas consultants under contract, chair says
Alaska lawmakers have no oil and gas consultants under contract, with a gas pipeline project and a new administration coming. Senators want that fixed.

Alaska LNG asks DNR to convert conditional pipeline leases to full leases
Alaska LNG asked the state to convert two conditional pipeline leases into full leases, citing over $50 billion in project financing and support agreements from major energy companies.

Alaska LNG report targets 2028 completion for in-state pipeline
Alaska LNG's latest federal report keeps its 2028 pipeline target and, as always, lists no long-term contracts. Seoul says its money is under review.

Trump says South Korea is still studying Alaska LNG, threatens to 'double it up'
Trump now says South Korea is "still studying" Alaska LNG, two days after his team touted $50 billion-plus in Korean money. He threatened to "double it up."

Seoul protested U.S. Alaska LNG announcement, says investment remains under review
White House officials and Alaska leaders announced $50 billion-plus in Korean money for Alaska LNG. Seoul says it agreed only to review it, and protested.

Borough Planning Commission to hear proposal for Nikiski gravel pit on Oct. 12
A paving company wants to dig a gravel pit at Mile 31 of the Kenai Spur Highway in Nikiski. Neighbors get their say Oct. 12, three minutes at a time.

State's draft road plan puts about $551 million into Kenai Peninsula projects; comments due Oct. 29
The state's draft road plan pours over half a billion dollars into Kenai Peninsula roads, mostly the Sterling Highway. Speak now: comments close Oct. 29.

Lawmakers press state on Safer Seward Highway project's size and funding as DOT reopens comment
Lawmakers pressed DOT on the Safer Seward Highway's size and funding. DOT pointed to open houses, new data online and 30 more days of public comment.

Public comment is open on Cook Inlet subsea data-center plan
Comments close Nov. 2 on a proposed tidal-powered subsea data center off Nikiski. The permit would authorize study, not construction.

Kenai Peninsula voters decide on school board term limits
Kenai Peninsula voters decide on school board term limits that would not keep anyone off a ballot until 2032. The assembly sent it to them 9-0.

Three Homer Electric generators failed at once, and hydro covered the gap
Three of Homer Electric's generators failed at once in August. It bought hydro to cover, from a dam whose lines cannot carry its full output.

Troopers arrest a Kenai man on a drug warrant after a Nikiski stop
Troopers arrested a Kenai man on a drug warrant after a Nikiski traffic stop and found 1.30 grams of meth, worth about $130 at state prices.

A fishing advocate warns Kenai over an undersea Cook Inlet data center
A fishing advocate told the Kenai council the federal application for an undersea data center off Nikiski has no thermal modeling, in endangered beluga habitat.

Wind gusts to 50 mph are coming, and the trees still have their leaves
Wind gusts to 50 mph hit Anchorage from Tuesday morning through Wednesday. The trees still have their leaves, which is how the outages happen.

Two Kenai Peninsula subdivisions go to the plat committee Sept. 28
Two subdivision plats, one in Nikiski and one in Anchor Point, go before the Kenai Peninsula Borough Sept. 28. Written comment closes the Friday before.

A Jeep rolled in Nikiski with a 14-year-old inside and the driver was arrested
A Jeep rolled onto its side in Nikiski with a 14-year-old inside. Troopers arrested the driver for DUI, the third such arrest in the area this summer.

Massachusetts firm seeks study permit for a 66-pod undersea data center in Cook Inlet
A Delaware company formed in January wants to put 66 data center pods and 350 tidal turbines on the floor of Cook Inlet. Comment closes Nov. 2.

Nikiski inventor patents heated tailgate to keep drill slurry from freezing
A Nikiski oilfield-services president earned a patent for a heated tank door that keeps drilling waste from freezing before crews can dump it.

A $413 million cable would give Kenai and Anchorage a second power link
One transmission path links Kenai to Anchorage. A $413 million subsea cable would add a second, if AEA can raise the half that isn't federal.

Homer electric members get a small break while Interior faces a big spike
Homer electric members are paying about $3.30 less since July 1 — a rare bit of good news, while Interior members brace for a 62% cost-of-power spike.

Micciche sets break-even floor on Kenai Peninsula tax break for Alaska LNG
Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche set a floor on Alaska LNG tax breaks at 75% off, saying the borough will not accept less than break-even on a $23.6 billion to $28.4 billion facility.

High water has Southcentral anglers waiting it out
Flooding has Southcentral anglers mostly sidelined — weirs underwater, creeks blown out, and 12-foot waves hitting the Kenai dipnet beaches.

Wind advisory: 50 mph gusts and 12-foot Cook Inlet waves threaten Kenai dipnetters Thursday
Yeah, maybe think about your choices before you just haphazardly go out - I don't know. I guess that's on you. Best of luck.

Alaska LNG tax bill advances as working draft, disputes unresolved
Alaska lawmakers advanced a working draft of HB 381, the tax framework for Alaska LNG, but disputes over the alternative volumetric tax remain unresolved.

Child hurt-risk in drunken Nikiski ATV rollover, troopers say
Troopers say a Nikiski woman rolled an ATV with a child aboard while driving at more than twice the legal alcohol limit. She faces DUI and child-endangerment charges.

Buried under the Kenai refuge: seismic data on a stranded Cook Inlet gas find is about to go public
As Southcentral eyes a gas shortage, old seismic data on Shadura — an undeveloped Cook Inlet gas find near Nikiski, stuck under the Kenai refuge — is set to go public.

Alaska's best shot at a new federal fertilizer grant is an idle Nikiski plant — if it can get the gas
A new $500M federal program funds fertilizer plants. Alaska's one real candidate — the idled Nikiski plant — is stuck on Cook Inlet's gas shortage, not on money.

A week of lightning sparked dozens of Alaska fires and forced an entire town to flee
Lightning hit Alaska more than 5,400 times in a week, sparking dozens of fires, and one behind an Anderson school forced the whole town to flee.

Dunleavy called a second special session over the unresolved LNG tax bill
Long Friday in Juneau: LNG tax bill stuck, second special session called, two vetoes overridden, three failed. Round three starts Saturday.

An escaped campfire grew to 89 acres near Sterling — cutting power and closing a road
An unextinguished campfire near Sterling grew to 89 acres, cut power, and closed Swanson River Road. Put out your campfires.

Alaska's biggest utility may start importing the gas its own region once exported
Then on the sixth day, god said: "Let there be LNG" And it was goooooood

Alaska regulators say gas-line oversight hinges on federal decision
Federal regulators claim exclusive authority over Alaska's proposed North Slope gas pipeline, blocking state oversight of ratepayer costs. • The project's split into in-state and export phases may give Alaska regulators a limited role if federal jurisdiction is revisited. • Lead developer Glenfarne is targeting a final investment decision this year and first gas by 2029.

Cook Inlet gas production falls to 61 Bcf in 2025
Cook Inlet gas production fell to 61 billion cubic feet in 2025, matching annual regional demand with no winter cushion. • Daily output of 200 million cubic feet falls short of peak winter demand of 320 million cubic feet per day. • Hilcorp has drilled 192 wells since 2012 and spent $1.5 billion just to hold production steady as individual wells decline 30 to 40 percent annually. • Utilities are developing LNG import terminals to fill the gap, targeting first imports in 2027 to 2029.

Alaska House passes new tax structure for Alaska LNG pipeline aimed at attracting investors
The Alaska House just passed the latest tax framework meant to finally install the LNG pipeline. Next, the Senate. Maybe. Pipeline still pending.

Dense fog blankets Kenai Peninsula for third straight day
Dense fog cut visibility to a quarter mile on the Sterling Highway between Soldotna and Homer for three straight mornings, prompting the National Weather Service to issue repeated advisories through Friday morning.

Senate Finance weighs Alaska LNG tax worth $124M a year — and whether it's enough for host communities
Governments are making compromises on the amount of property tax they'll receive - not all are happy about it

Kenai parent asks commission to lower weight room age limit
A Kenai parent asked the Parks and Recreation Commission to lower the weight room age limit at Kenai Rec Center from 16 to 14, saying the current policy pushes families to drive to nearby communities where younger teens can use gyms independently.

Glenfarne's own cost estimate for Alaska LNG is now significantly higher than AGDC's — and the state's equity option sits in the middle of the new math
Glenfarne raised Alaska LNG cost estimate to 44.5 to 54.5 billion dollars, up from state agency's 38.7 billion. • Legislature can buy 5 to 25 percent equity stake within 180 days after final investment decision. • Property tax reform is central to project financing, with current rates costing roughly 380 million dollars yearly during construction.
