KTVA News
By: Joe Vigil
The Port of Alaska recently showed KTVA damage from the 7.1 earthquake. Several piles, which hold up docks at the port, split at the weld points.
"It's put together like a paper towel roll, like those Pillsbury rolls, dinner rolls," said Port Director Steve Ribuffo.
Ribuffo added, "You can't use that anymore because once it's untwisted you can't twist it back and weld it back."
The port has been working to repair piles, with all of them suffering corrosion damage over the years. The port says there are more than 1,400 in all.
"For years we have been doing this annual wharf pile repair program and putting sleeves on the piles to combat the corrosion in order to continue to keep the load bearing capacity on the docks going," Ribuffo said.
Read Full Story Here:
https://www.ktva.com/story/41382318/port-of-alaska-discusses-71-earthquake-and-efforts-to-minimize-damage-in-another-quake
Petroleum News
By: Steve Sutherlin
The Port of Alaska has garnered a $25 million grant from the federal “Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Discretionary Grants program,” to build the third and final phase of an upgrade to its petroleum products and cement handling facilities, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao said Nov. 12.
The cost of the project is $81 million, based on current engineering projections, said Jim Jager, director of external affairs for the port. The port has yet to see any contractor bids on the project.
Despite a $25 million cash infusion, the port will not reduce initial tariffs under a 10-year, escalating user fee schedule adopted by the Port Commission, he said.
Reductions of the rates would be more likely once the total costs of the project - including financing - are known, Jager said, adding that the port’s overall cost estimate has already factored in some degree of success in attracting grants, as well as an anticipation of favorable financing terms.
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https://www.petroleumnews.com/pntruncate/264025244.shtml
Alaska Journal of Commerce
By: Elwood Brehmer
Anchorage is getting a $25 million shot in the arm to help rebuild its long beleaguered port.
Municipal officials announced Nov. 6 that they will receive a $25 million grant from the federal Department of Transportation to help complete the $214 million petroleum and cement terminal the Anchorage Assembly approved construction of earlier this year.
The money is coming from the federal agency’s Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development, or BUILD, Grant program.
Anchorage Municipal Manager Bill Falsey said in a formal statement that the lump sum helps fill a significant funding gap and gives officials overseeing the Port of Alaska modernization project plenty of confidence that they will be able to complete the petroleum and cement terminal in 2021.
Port of Alaska Director Steve Ribuffo thanked the congressional delegation in a formal statement as well.
Read Full Story Here:
https://www.alaskajournal.com/2019-11-13/anchorage-secures-25m-grant-port-alaska
Seattle Times
By: The Associated Press
Anchorage has been awarded a $25 million grant to assist with upgrades to the Port of Alaska, officials said.
The U.S. Department of Transportation grant will help fund construction of a new $214 million petroleum and cement terminal that is part of a $2 billion modernization project.
An estimated 85% of Alaska’s homes and businesses rely on cargo from the port, which has fallen into disrepair over the years.
State and other federal funds are expected to cover $134 million of the terminal’s cost, leaving an $80 million gap, according to Mayor Ethan Berkowitz’s office.
The federal grant will help offset the deficit, while the remaining $55 million can be generated from port tariffs, Municipal Manager Bill Falsey said. The grant will allow the terminal project to start in the summer with completion projected for 2021, he said.
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https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/northwest/anchorage-receives-25m-grant-for-port-of-alaska-upgrades/
Alaska Public Media
By: Zachariah Hughes
The Port of Alaska is getting $25 million in federal funds to help improve and modernize. The money was announced Wednesday by Alaska’s congressional delegation. It was awarded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Though it’s only a small piece of what’s needed for essential upgrades, officials in Anchorage are pleased.
“It was a very competitive process, but we are happy to receive the maximum award,” said Anchorage Municipal Manager Bill Falsey.
The municipality and its partners put together the extensive grant application, and the money will go toward financing upgrades to the cement and petroleum terminal at the port, a critical component in delivering fuel and construction material to the state.
Read Full Story Here:
https://www.alaskapublic.org/2019/11/06/us-dept-of-transportation-awards-25m-for-port-upgrades/
KTVA News
By: Joe Vigil
Alaska's congressional delegation is announcing a $25 million grant that will help offset the costs of the Port of Alaska's $2 billion modernization project.
“The Port of Alaska – which provides the vast majority of the food, construction materials, fuel, and other vital goods that Alaskans rely on – is in danger from crumbling infrastructure,” the delegation wrote in a news release Wednesday.
U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan plus Rep. Don Young say the grant is coming from the U.S. Department of Transportation and is called the Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development Grant.
“Alaskans have been sounding the alarm about the critical state of Alaska’s primary import terminal for years and, thankfully, the Trump administration and Secretary Chao have listened and are taking action to help us," said the delegation.
Read Full Story Here:
https://www.ktva.com/story/41284696/dollar25-million-grant-awarded-for-port-of-alaska-project
Anchorage Daily News
By: Aubrey Wieber
The city of Anchorage has been awarded a $25 million federal grant to help pay for fixing the damaged Port of Alaska.
The money will be used to construct a new petroleum and cement terminal, a $214 million project, Mayor Ethan Berkowitz said Wednesday.
"This enhances Anchorage and Alaska’s resilience in the face of any disruptions such as earthquakes,” Berkowitz said.
The grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation helps offset an $80 million funding deficit on the terminal project.
The remaining $55 million can be generated from tariffs at the port, municipal manager Bill Falsey said. The grant allows the project to start this summer. It’s projected to be completed in the summer of 2021, he said.
Read Full Story Here:
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/anchorage/2019/11/07/anchorage-lands-25m-grant-for-construction-of-cement-and-petroleum-terminal-at-port/#_
Juneau Empire
By: Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse (Opinion)
Alaska has an opportunity to become a major supplier of copper at a time when global demand is on the rise, as more innovations like electric vehicles, alternative energy and battery storage are developed to lower the world’s carbon footprint. The world needs copper and Alaska needs infrastructure to deliver it; the Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Project or AMDIAP is part of the solution.
It takes an estimated five to 15 times more copper to build and deliver carbon-free alternative energy such as windmills and solar panels than fossil fuel-based energy. Miles more copper is required for each one of the millions of new electrically vehicles (EVs) being sold — five times as much as in internal combustion engines. The new battery technologies needed to store energy in EVs, homes and industry need copper to function as do cryptocurrencies, cloud computing and AI. The demand for copper will continue to grow for as far as the eye can see.
Read Full Article Here:
https://www.juneauempire.com/opinion/opinion-investing-in-alaskas-infrastructure-will-benefit-all-alaskans/
By Derek Minemyer
KTUU News
Repair work to earthquake-damaged piling at the Port of Alaska is wrapping up ahead of winter, and port managers are looking at what comes next.
Engineer inspections performed after the 2019 snow melt revealed more damage than port managers could see in the aftermath of the earthquake. They found that 20 percent of piles holding up POL2, a dock receiving petroleum, oil and cement imports, had failed. This failure was so severe that the port had to de-rate the loading capacity of the dock while making repairs.
“We didn’t have to shut the dock down entirely,” said POA External Affairs Director Jim Jager. “But it did reduce the amount of goods brought in through the dock.”
POL2 piling repairs consisted of wrapping custom fit metal “pile jackets” around about 60 structurally compromised supports, according to Jager. The piling was already well beyond its lifespan before the earthquake and had been weakening due to corrosion.
Read Full Story Here:
https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Upgrading-seismic-resiliency-at-the-Port-of-Alaska-563763351.html
By Kristen Durand
KTUU News
The Port Commission voted on a plan to finance a project that would bring part of the Port of Alaska - which handles about half of all Alaska inbound marine cargo - to fully operational status. The $81 million project would be partially funded by a raise in tariffs.
The current tariff at the port will be expiring at the end of the year, so Wednesday the commission met to discuss those changes, as well as how to move forward with funding the remainder of the Petroleum Cement Terminal.
The Petroleum Cement Terminal has been in a state of disrepair since before the Nov. 30 earthquake, and on Wednesday the Port Commission looked at options anywhere from basically 'keeping the lights on,' all the way to funding a fully operational facility.
Read Full Story Here:
https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Port-Commission-votes-to-increase-tariffs-to-support-Petroleum-Cement-Terminal-completion-project--563749241.html
