Low loads and mild weather hold down diesel use during SEAPA shutdown

Petersburg burned notably less diesel than usual during this month’s annual Southeast Alaska Power Agency maintenance shutdown, as mild weather, low industrial demand and customer conservation combined to ease the borough’s reliance on its backup generators even as fuel prices spiked, the borough’s utility directors said.

With SEAPA’s hydroelectric feed offline, Petersburg Municipal Power and Light ran on diesel generation and the Blind Slough hydro plant. Outgoing Utility Director Karl Hagerman said the utility budgets for 10 days of diesel running each year; this year’s outage ran nine days,...