Golden Valley lifts first energy emergency alert, warns supply problems will continue

Editor's note: This story was updated Oct. 14 after GVEA ended the alert.

By Wednesday morning, Golden Valley Electric Association had ended its first-ever Energy Emergency Alert, issued Monday after an unexpected generator outage left the Interior co-op with just one unit of backup power.

GVEA's alert page showed Level 0, normal conditions, at 10:40 am Wednesday. But the co-op says the supply problems behind the alert will continue for now.

Two of GVEA's generating units were offline Monday for planned maintenance, and a third went down unexpectedly at the same time, the co-op said in a Tuesday release. That put it at Level 2 of three, with backup power limited to a single unit. GVEA asked members to cut back on electricity and prepare for possible outages while crews worked around the clock to restore the unit. It said it schedules maintenance before winter, when temperatures drop and demand rises.

If supply had dropped further, the next step was rotating outages. Under GVEA's Controlled Load Shed Program, power would go out for 30 to 60 minutes at a time, zone by zone, across 13 zones, with text alerts to members in each. GVEA calls it "a last resort" to prevent full system failure. Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, the Fairbanks police and fire departments, emergency medical services, Fairbanks International Airport, the Aurora Energy power plant and water treatment facilities are exempt, and so are homes and businesses served by the same feeder lines.

The alert system is new, but the problem behind it is not. GVEA had planned to introduce the system to members this week. Over the past year, the release said, the co-op hit conditions matching Level 1 and Level 2 "on numerous occasions" without a formal way to warn members. Staff walked the board through the alert levels in August.

GVEA has struggled to keep up with demand since February 2025, when Cook Inlet gas shortages cut off the natural gas-fired power it had long bought from Anchorage-area utilities. Staff told the board in August that the co-op lacked enough generation in reserve on 236 of the previous 250 days, which they called a measure of reliability risk rather than a sign the utility couldn't serve members.

The board has approved moving ahead on two projects. One is a battery system estimated at about $130 million, which would cost members around $18 million after loan forgiveness and tax credits and could supply 70 megawatts for up to two hours. GVEA said it is finalizing contracts and financing. The other is new baseload generation: the board authorized management to pursue up to $80 million, with any purchase returning to the board for approval. GVEA is evaluating a used LM6000 turbine, or an equivalent, that can burn naphtha, a petroleum product the co-op says has had steadier prices than diesel. Management estimated a used turbine could be running in three to four years at best, according to an August board recap.

GVEA called the projects "only part of the solution" and said they "will take time to complete." Its power supply challenges will continue in the meantime, the co-op said.

Members can check the current alert level and find their outage zone on GVEA's alert page, and the co-op asks them to keep their email and cell numbers current to get outage texts.