Northwest Alaska utility receives top honor

Alaska Business Monthly, June, 2002

Kotzebue Electric Association has received top national honors from the

Community Service Network of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association at the association's annual meeting in Dallas recently. Winner of the "Community Service Network Award" for the best overall effort, the 840-member electric cooperative in remote Northwest Alaska has become a nationally recognized technical and research center for the conversion of wind energy to electric power.

The CSN awards of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association recognize community service and electric cooperative grassroots advocacy, with an emphasis on creative solutions for a diverse array of community needs. By harnessing the cold, bitter winds that sweep across the tundra, the utility has effectively reduced its dependence on costly fossil fuels and increased reliability for the homes, schools and businesses in the city 30 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

Kotzebue Electric Association Board President Frank Stein and General Manager Brad Reeve accepted the award presented by NRECA Chief Executive Officer Glenn English and President Fred Lackey during a celebration luncheon attended by an estimated 10,000 representatives from electric cooperative utilities throughout the United States.

ARECA, Alaska's statewide electric association, nominated Kotzebue Electric for the prestigious award.

"Increasing fuel prices throughout the nation have heightened the need to explore new generation sources that operate on renewable resources," said Eric Yould, ARECA executive director. "The per gallon cost of fuel to Alaska's cooperatives is among the highest it has been in 15 years. This situation, coupled with the vision of a forward-thinking general manager and board of directors, triggered the utility's ambitious effort to develop a wind energy industry for bringing more affordable electricity and jobs to rural Alaska. Kotzebue Electric is a shining example of the kind of research and development being driven by several innovative utilities in Alaska," Yould said.