AIDEA takes over governor's energy conference with up to $400,000

The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority's board approved up to $400,000 on Sept. 22 for AIDEA to organize the 2027 Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference in Anchorage, the annual event Gov. Mike Dunleavy founded in 2022.

Dunleavy started the conference to promote Alaska's energy potential for investment, according to the resolution the board adopted at its meeting in Kotzebue. It says AIDEA will take responsibility for organizing and managing the conference so it continues after five years under Dunleavy, who is term-limited and leaves office in December.

The resolution lets Executive Director Randy Ruaro spend the money and enter into a contract with Toast of the Town, which does business as Government Event Services. The company has coordinated planning, operations and logistics for every conference since 2022, the resolution says. It also authorizes Ruaro to take "all necessary actions" to keep the conference going each year and requires him to report regularly to the board.

AIDEA's partners will include the governor's office, the Alaska Energy Authority, the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Alaska Center for Energy and Power and the U.S. Department of Energy's Arctic Energy Office, according to the resolution, which says attendance topped 1,000 in both 2025 and 2026.

The resolution does not say which AIDEA fund will pay for the conference, or whether the money counts against a communications budget the board approved in April. That budget allows up to $700,000 a year in 2026 and 2027 for costs the board defined to include trade shows, conferences, media inquiries and public outreach.