STG Recognized for Wind Project Achievement

Subsidiary Brings Renewable Energy to More Western AK Villages

Storyknife, January/February 2024 edition

In 2023, Calista subsidiary STG Incorporated installed a large, utility-scale wind turbine to bring clean, renewable energy to the remote western Alaska communities of Stebbins and St. Michael.

Local communities have championed the project for more than a decade, and construction began in spring 2022 after the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative (AVEC) awarded the project to STG.

The project was a massive undertaking, funded by the Denali Commission, Department of Energy Office of Indian Energy, Norton Sound Economic Development, and Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Fortunately, STG has expertise. It has installed 104 utility-scale turbines in rural Alaska, and provides crane services to maintain the Kodiak Electric, Fire Island, and Eva Creek wind farms.

To install the turbine’s 22-story (75-meter) tower, STG upgraded local roads and barged the largest crane that has ever landed in western Alaska—a 300-ton LR 1300 crawler—from California.

LOGISTICAL CHALLENGES

Like many coastal communities in western Alaska, Stebbins lacks a dock or barge landing facility.

STG’s mobilization effort involved five barge landing craft deliveries with continually shifting barging dates, COVID-19 related supply chain disruptions, and avoiding impacts to the community and its residents, the tundra and underlying permafrost.

The tower foundation required 160 cubic yards of concrete batched, tested and poured on site. That isn’t a big deal in urban areas, but hundreds of supersacks of aggregate and cement, along with two concrete plants and three mixer trucks, had to be barged to Stebbins for this component alone.

To transport the heavy equipment and materials to the project site, STG rebuilt local roads. The trucks only operated during waking hours, stopping frequently for pedestrians.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

STG hired local talent, contributing to both the success of the project and to economic development in the region, says AVEC Project Manager Onya Stein.

When Typhoon Merbok barreled into western Alaska during the early stages of the project, STG donated staff time along with aggregate materials it had stockpiled in Stebbins to help repair damaged roads and clean up the local beach.

“STG’s crews consistently approach projects with a can-do attitude. Their dedication was evident even in harsh winter conditions while working on the tundra,” Stein says.

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

Once fully operational, the turbine is expected to displace 104,700 gallons of diesel fuel every year, and supply 50 percent of annual electricity from wind.

“This reduction not only addresses environmental concerns but also contributes to the improved health and wellbeing of residents by reducing fuel transportation and lowering carbon dioxide emissions,” Stein says.

For its efforts on the Stebbins/St. Michael Wind Energy Project, STG recently won an Excellence in Construction award from the Associated General Contractors of Alaska.

STG Incorporated is a proud subsidiary of Calista Corporation and is part of the Calista Brice LLC holding line. Take a look at a list of our holding lines and subsidiaries.