Chugach Consumers

Southern Intertie Cost-Benefit Report History

  ALL ARE INDEPENDENT STUDIES (except 11/02 Chugach study) ADJUSTED* BENEFIT TO COST RATIO
NEGATIVE POSITIVE
6/89 DFI - BENEFITS:  $43 to 49 million ($1987)       0.42 to 0.48   
12/89  DFI - BENEFITS:  $114 to 131 million ($1990).   Publicly revised by DFI in 3/9/98 but in the 2/16/98 Chugach secret study DFI says these numbers are [probably less accurate].    1.13 to 1.29
 [future DFI comment: probably less accurate]
2/14/90 Analysis North (Alan Mitchell) - BENEFITS:  $51 to 65 million ($1990).     Mitchell was the State of Alaska Utility Consumer Advocate. 0.50 to 0.64  
1/97 Southern Intertie Environmental Impact Statement public input process begins.
2/16/98 DFI 2/98 - BENEFITS:  $56.7 million ($1997).  Chugach Electric "Secret" study.  DFI states "We believe our comprehensive approach [in the 2/98 study] is much more accurate [then the previous 1989 work]." 0.46
DFI: "much more accurate"
 
3/9/98 DFI 3/98 - BENEFITS:  $143.5 million ($1997);  A revision of the 12/89 study. Steve Haas, a consultant involved in the two studies, later said the more pessimistic...[2/98] study was probably the more accurate of the two.   1.16
[DFI: probably less accurate]
10/2/02 Southern Intertie Environmental Impact Statement public process ends with record of decision.
11/18/02 NOT AN INDEPENDENT STUDY:  Chugach Electric internal study - many benefits not quantified, ratio cannot be determined.  SEE NOTE. over 0.45 ?  
12/5/02 Chugach Electric "Secret" study made public for the first time.      


NOTES   [see also:  Alan Mitchell Chart  ;  
  Table comparing 2/16/98 DFI "Secret" to 3/9/98 DFI "Public EIS" report ]

* The lowest cost Enstar Route was prohibited in the final EIS record of decision.  Therefore only Tesoro Route costs (about $15 million higher) are used.  Costs used are Total Lifecycle Costs (including present value, PV, of cable replacements and O&M costs).  Grants are never considered to be "free" (deducted from costs).

6/89 DFI study was for a much larger 230kv line (all others below were for a 138kv line), therefore use 12/89 costs for the smaller line.   COST:  $101.2 million ($1990) adjusted cost;  BENEFITS:  $43 to 49 million ($1987);   BENEFIT TO COST RATIO:   0.42 to 0.48.  

12/89 DFI - COST:  $86.2 million ($1990) and add $15 million cost increase for the Tesoro line = $101.2 million ($1990) adjusted cost;  BENEFITS:  $114 to 131 million ($1990);  ADJUSTED BENEFIT TO COST RATIO:  1.13 to 1.29

2/14/90 Analysis North (Alan Mitchell) - $86 million ($1990) and add $15 million cost increase for the Tesoro line = $101 million ($1990) adjusted cost;  BENEFITS:  $51 to 65 million ($1990);   BENEFIT TO COST RATIO:   0.50 to 0.64  

2/16/98 DFI - COST:  $90.2 million ($1997) and add $16 million cost increase for the Tesoro line plus $17.9 million for life cycle O&M and cable replacements  = $124.1 million ($1997) adjusted cost;  BENEFITS:  $56.7 million ($1997);  ADJUSTED BENEFIT TO COST RATIO:  0.46

3/9/98 DFI - COST:  $90.2 million ($1997) and add $16 million cost increase for the Tesoro line plus $17.9 million for life cycle O&M and cable replacements  = $124.1 million ($1997) adjusted cost;  BENEFITS:  $143.5 million ($1997);  ADJUSTED BENEFIT TO COST RATIO: 1.16 

11/18/02 Chugach Electric internal study - COST:  $112.0 million ($1997).  Why this has dropped from the $124.1 million ($1997) in the EIS is not explained by Chugach.  BENEFITS:  $56.0 million ($1997??), does not include capacity sharing, reliability, reduced line maintenance, avoiding generation on Kenai, avoiding not loading line during bad weather, these benefits not quantified by Chugach.  Therefore a comparable ADJUSTED BENEFIT TO COST RATIO cannot be calculated except to say it will be over 0.45 to 0.50 (range is due to unexplained cost difference) 


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