Matanuska Electric's next CEO inherits a gas contract that expires in 2029 and years of rising bills

Matanuska Electric Association's roughly 58,000 members will get a new chief executive as the cooperative faces years of rising fuel costs tied to its Cook Inlet natural gas supply. MEA announced Aug. 21 that Clay Koplin will become CEO on Jan. 7, 2027. He succeeds Tony Izzo, who has led the cooperative since 2016 and will retire next spring. Koplin takes the title in January; Izzo stays on afterward as an adviser until he leaves the cooperative.

The board, led by President Arthur Keyes, chose him at a special meeting on Aug. 21, called to discuss a personnel matter and announced the day before.

Koplin leads Cordova Electric Cooperative, an islanded microgrid that runs on its own, and chairs the Alaska Energy Authority Board of Directors. He is an electrical engineer and will retire from Cordova after 28 years, 19 of them as CEO. Izzo joined MEA in 2012 after serving as president of ENSTAR Natural Gas. Izzo will continue to advise MEA on gas supply and other strategic matters into the new year.

MEA says 84% of its power comes from Cook Inlet natural gas. The Cost of Power Adjustment, the charge that passes fuel costs straight to members, rose from $0.07879 to $0.10195 per kilowatt-hour for the third quarter of 2026. That adds about $14.53 a month for a typical residential member using 623 kWh. Base rates did not change.

MEA's all-requirements gas contract with Hilcorp, under which Hilcorp supplies everything MEA burns, expires April 1, 2029. The cooperative told the Alaska State House Finance Committee in June that members should expect bills to rise about 5% a year for three years. LNG imports could add $21 to $31 a month after 2029.

At a July 28 press conference, Izzo called the gas supply situation "the most critical issue I have faced" in a 45-year career.

MEA has not stated contract terms, compensation, or any effect on rates.