Systems study bodes ill for power future

Wrangell’s power infrastructure may be on the blink if left as it is, according to an electric system study presented in June.

Conducted by Juneau-area consultancy Electric Power Systems, the study identified a number of infrastructural needs Wrangell will need to focus on over the coming five years. The two largest problems it identified were the state of Wrangell’s utility poles and its backup power generation capabilities.

Most of the borough’s utility poles have reached or surpassed their life expectancy. Fifty percent are more than 40 years old, and an additional 30 percent of poles are o...