Avalanches knock out power to Alaska's capital

Massive avalanches destroyed transmission lines and support towers to a dam that supplies 85 percent of the electricity for Alaska's capital, and utility rates could quintuple for months until repairs are made, officials said. The series of avalanches hit at 4 a.m. Wednesday, taking out 1.5 miles of power transmission line and destroying or severely damaging five support towers along a steep mountainside outside the Snettisham Hydroelectric Facility, about 40 miles from downtown Juneau.

Diesel generators were running Wednesday morning and are expected to continue to supply most of Juneau's power needs for the next three months, albeit at a much higher cost than the 11 cents per kilowatt hour paid for hydropower-generated electricity. We've always known that the Snettisham line was vulnerable because of the location of those hydro projects and that long transmission line, so we've always had a contingency plan," said Alaska Electric Light and Power president and general manager Tim McLeod.

One in five households in Juneau are heated with electricity, according to the city. We are very mindful of the fact that this disruption of power will affect every household and business, and for businesses and families that are operating on the margins, this will have a profound consequence," said Juneau Mayor Bruce Botelho at a news conference Thursday.

Klik hier voor het hele artikel

_©CNN