The faulty submarine cable is located between Woronkofski and Vank island.
The submarine cables have several casings and a layer of paper rolled up under 40 pounds of pressure that is filled with fluid. The center of the cable is also filled with fluid to dissipate heat.
Southeast Alaska Power Agency conducted a survey on a damaged cable running between Woronkofski and Vank islands and the board will make a final decision on whether to repair the cable or replace it by March's board meeting.
"We could have up to 20 more years," said Bob Lynn, Petersburg's voting member on the SEAPA board. "We don't know, but the risk is very high on that old cable."
Lynn gave the Petersburg Borough Assembly an update on the project at an assembly meeting Monday, but data from the survey hasn't been turned over to the SEAPA board and staff.
The damaged cable is one of four submarine cables that connects the terminals between Woronkofski and Vank islands to provide Petersburg with power. Three of the cables are needed to transfer power, while the fourth is a backup cable. A fault occurred in the damaged cable on Sept. 29 and caused a power outage in town.
Assembly Member Taylor Norhiem asked if SEAPA could cut out the damaged part of the cable and splice in a new piece. Lynn said that a portion of the cable is buried underneath a layer of soil. If the cable is buried deeper than three feet, then the cable could be further damaged when it is pulled out of the water to be repaired. The survey will identify how deep the cable is buried.
Additionally, Lynn said there's only one company that is capable of splicing the cable and it is based out of Japan. Lynn estimated that the mobilization cost to be between $1 million and $2 million.
"If you're going to pay the mobilization cost, then we might as well lay a new cable," said Lynn.
The new cable would have all three phases running through it, so only one cable is needed, instead of three, to transfer power, said Lynn. The new cable also could easily be spliced into the two terminals. The current cables would continue to be used, while the new cable acts as a backup, but the cables wouldn't be compatible with each other.
It is estimated to cost $6.3 million to purchase a new cable and replace the faulty submarine cable, according to Lynn.
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