The Project to Turn Alaska Nuclear
ALASKA – Galena, Alaska, has a population of less than 500 people. But, the little, bush town near the Arctic Circle made big headlines when it was targeted to build a nuclear plant by the TOSHIBA Corporation.
In “The Galena Nuclear Project: Pursuing Low-Cost Energy in Bush Alaska,” former city manager Marvin L. Yoder describes the journey to get power to his small town, off the electrical grid.
“We were generating power from diesel engines,” Yoder said. “We needed to find a low-cost energy solution that could power and sustain our small town. TOSHIBA had the vision to recognize that small, nuclear technology could provide reliable energy and other infrastructure in economically disadvantaged communities.”
TOSHIBA proposed putting a small, nuclear plant in the city. The Galena City Council agreed to consider it and Yoder’s book chronicles the evaluation process and the city’s testimony before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
“Low-cost electricity is mandatory for healthy living,” Yoder said. “Bringing power to isolated places, like Galena, assists in economic development and sustainability for people who would, otherwise, not have access to resources. Projects like ours can help change the lives of others living in disadvantaged areas.”
“The Galena Nuclear Project”
By Marvin L. Yoder
ISBN: 978-1-4990-2034-2
Available at the Xlibris and Amazon
About the author
Marvin Yoder spent more than 25 years working for various municipalities in Alaska, from southeast to the interior. He retired from Galena in 2006. He formed MY:T Solutions, LLC, with his son, Tony, and maintained contact with Toshiba for several years. Yoder lives in Palmer, Alaska, with his wife, Patsy.
