HEA Candidate Questions—Patrick Parker

Voting opened March 28 in HEA’s board election and runs through the Annual Meeting on May 1. Members can vote in 3 ways:

• Electronically via the HEA election portal until 5 p.m. on April 30.

• By mail—beginning this year, members wishing to vote by mail need to request a ballot. Mail in ballots must be received by the election administrator in Minnesota by 5 p.m. on April 30 to be counted.

• In person at the HEA Annual Meeting at Kenai Central High School. The meeting starts at 6 p.m.; voting will be open from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

More information, including access to the online portal and the form to request paper ballots, can be found on the HEA election page.

Here are the questionnaire responses for Patrick Parker, a candidate in HEA’s District 1 (which includes Kenai, Nikiski, and parts of Soldotna. Parker is currently a software engineer with Zoll Data systems, with previous experience working in the oil and gas sector and for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District.

His campaign website is https://www.patrickforhea.com/; his HEA candidate profile can be found here.

Patrick Parker, from his HEA candidate profile

1. Why do you want to serve on the HEA Board?

I’ve always been interested in technology, especially in power generation. This opportunity will let me use my technical skills and interests to give back to the community that I grew up in. I think the board needs new ideas and motivated members to make the changes necessary to succeed.

2. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing HEA over the next 5-10 years? What can be done to prepare to meet them? 

The looming natural gas shortage will be the greatest challenge the co-op has ever faced. I believe we need to meet this challenge head-on with proactive engagement. We need to implement grid diversification through proven technology that is being used all over the world. Alaska has abundant energy resources, and we need to start using them.

3. The Railbelt utilities are facing many common issues, such as shortfalls of Cook Inlet natural gas and the need for transmission upgrades. There is some collaboration among utilities to address these issues, although this has sometimes required legislative intervention (such as the formation of the Railbelt Regional Transmission Organization).

What role do cooperative boards have in working toward greater collaboration among the Railbelt utilities? Should this be done solely through directives to staff, or is there a place for direct collaboration between boards and/or board members?

I think that boards should be working together to come up with complementary plans of action. Most energy solutions benefit from scale. We need to work with the Railbelt utilities so we can maximize the scale of our projects in order to keep costs low. This level of cooperation will require boards and staff to work together.

4. Legislators give considerable weight to input provided by utilities on legislation that affects them. What role should board members play in developing their cooperative’s stance on bills before the Legislature? How should the Board interact with staff on these issues?

Boards need to enact clear and comprehensive plans to address new energy development. Much of this development will be in relatively untapped areas of industry for Alaska, such as solar, wind, tidal, and geothermal. It will be important for all of the Railbelt utilities to encourage Alaska’s legislation to implement laws that support these plans and allow Alaskans to safely and responsibly take advantage of our natural resources.

5. Imported LNG is expected to cost about 40-50% more than the current price of Cook Inlet natural gas. A recent ADN story indicated that the Cook Inlet gas from Furie’s new wells will be almost as expensive (this is the anticipated source of the natural gas for HEA’s contract extension with ENSTAR). The contract extension with ENSTAR is also interruptible (meaning the delivery of the contracted gas is not guaranteed). Given these facts:

a/Would you support HEA signing a power purchase agreement with a renewable independent power producer whose cost of power would be higher than the cost of HEA’s current gas-fired generation, but less expensive than power generated with more expensive natural gas in the future?

Yes, investments that pay off in the future are something that every successful organization does. It is also not unprecedented, we’ve done this before with the Bradley Lake Hydro Facility and have been reaping the rewards of that investment for decades.

b/The developer of the Puppy Dog Lake solar project withdrew from their power purchase agreement with HEA in late January, citing financial reasons. Should HEA work proactively with this (or another) independent power producer to revive the project? Should it consider investing directly in this or a similar project?

Yes, I would support HEA investing directly in this project. Solar energy is extremely inexpensive, and this would help our utility gain more control over its energy generation. This project and others like it would be great opportunities to quickly start decreasing our reliance on gas power, in addition to providing great economic opportunities for our local community.

6. Although HEA is a member-owned cooperative, levels of member engagement and involvement are low—only 16.5% of members voted in the last election and very few members attend board meetings. Do you believe that the Board should try to increase member engagement? If so, what can the Board do to encourage greater member engagement and involvement in helping to guide the cooperative’s policies?

Yes, the board is elected by its members so it’s crucial that directors use engagement to effectively represent them. I would like to see additional communication and transparency from the board. Social media and HEA’s website could provide more up-to-date information about current projects, and easy to understand clarity on where costs are allocated.

7. The extensive use of executive session by utility boards contributes to member disengagement. In 2024, HEA’s Board spent 27% of its board meetings in executive session. Recognizing that the use of executive session is necessary at times, do you believe that cooperative boards have an obligation to their member-owners to maximize the openness and transparency of their decision making? Should HEA’s Board minimize its use of executive session? If so, what steps could be taken to achieve this goal? 

Yes, I think executive session should only be used when there are privacy and security concerns about the topic of discussion. Discourse and debate about policy and decision-making should be on the record. This is important for enabling members to see for themselves whether or not they are being adequately represented, and helps inform decisions on future elections.