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A lengthy, active relationship with GVEA has the effect of determining the boundaries of one’s vision for GVEA such that the longer the relationship the closer one’s vision coincides with GVEA’s current capabilities. Without regular turn-over on both sides, management and the board start paddling in the same direction at the same pace. How is GVEA going to achieve $0.0125/KWH for its member owners if ambition is muted via reciprocal role respect and courtesy?
Who can decribe a future desired state for electricity services to Alaskan households and businesses? In units of measure that are apolitical, unambigious? With the courage to presume innovation can in fact be summoned and relied upon to bring the impossible within reach?
Near sighted (myopic) stewardship needs to be informed by an overall definition of success that includes an objective regarded as implausible by current leadership forcing them to comprehend they’re one of many leadership teams that’ll need to do their part so that the next team can pick up where they left off. GVEA needs a dream. Who will be a purveyor? Someone in management or on the board?
Rory, you are definitely taking a long and far reaching view. Achieving $.0125/kwh is not going to happen without an international revolution in renewable energy and storage and removing ourselves from any form of fossil fuels. GVEA needs to pay back hundreds of millions of dollars of loans. And near free energy, as you’ve suggested, would lead to wasteful consumption, I fear. Perhaps we could come close to $.125. That might be sustainable for Fairbanks consumers-members.
It’s a complex business with lots of moving parts and many of the parts involve working with other Railbelt utilities especially in matters of high voltage transmission and power regulation.
I will say that the current board at GVEA is not the board of past years where it was all kumbaya and any new project was considered a wonderful idea. They do work on strategic plans annually and, while there are certainly disagreements on matters of policy, I find it good that they can be respectful of each other. I would do the same as a board member.