Alaska power grid finance panel meets behind closed doors May 21

The Railbelt Transmission Organization's Finance Subcommittee will hold a closed meeting May 21 at 3:00 PM to discuss financial matters related to Alaska's electrical grid.

Alaska News previously reported that the RTO has held a series of closed finance and tariff subcommittee meetings in recent weeks as the organization works to establish its operational structure. The RTO held closed finance and tariff subcommittee meetings May 14, part of an ongoing process that includes a February regulatory step when the Regulatory Commission of Alaska suspended the organization's initial tariff filing. The RTO manages transmission infrastructure serving the Railbelt region connecting Fairbanks to the Kenai Peninsula.

The Finance Subcommittee can only advise or make recommendations to the RTO's Governance Committee, according to the organization's bylaws. It has no authority to establish policies or make decisions on its own. The Governance Committee holds open meetings that the public can attend.

The meeting will be conducted by teleconference at the Alaska Energy Authority, 813 West Northern Lights Boulevard in Anchorage. The notice states that the RTO's open meeting provisions do not apply to subcommittee meetings under the organization's bylaws.

The RTO operates under the Alaska Energy Authority, a state public corporation. The Governance Committee's next regular meeting is scheduled for June 9.