Kawerak takes comments on draft Bering Strait energy plan through Nov. 30

Kawerak, Inc. is taking public comments through Nov. 30 on a draft 2026 Bering Strait Regional Energy Plan. Its Energy Program built the 75-page draft with DeerStone Consulting and regional stakeholders.

The draft "is centered around eight priorities established during the 2026 Regional Energy Summit," the Energy Program said in its announcement. That summit gathered representatives from across the Bering Strait region to brainstorm energy needs and priorities, according to the program.

Kawerak is the regional nonprofit tribal consortium that provides Bureau of Indian Affairs services for 18 of the 20 tribes in the region, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

This is not the region's first energy planning effort. The Energy Department awarded $998,771 to Kawerak's Bering Strait Energy Planning Network, which ran from September 2016 to September 2019, and Kawerak added $125,484 in matching funds. The network was to host an annual regional energy summit in Nome and address high energy costs in 20 rural, roadless tribal communities, the department said. Alaska News reported Aug. 5 that a decade after that plan, Bering Strait villages were still studying the problem as Kawerak sought contractors to assess the diesel infrastructure that keeps the 20 communities running.

The draft plan also covers Pilgrim Hot Springs, a 320-acre site 60 road miles north of Nome. Kawerak is a co-managing partner of Unaatuq, LLC, the consortium of regional organizations that owns the springs, alongside Bering Straits Native Corporation. A federally funded project there calls for a 65-kilowatt geothermal power plant to power and heat about 18 tribal buildings on the site. Kawerak's draft plan lists the Pilgrim system at 75 kilowatts, for heating and limited power, with installation planned for 2027.

Response

The Energy Program said it looks forward to incorporating edits, comments and suggested changes from "the energy champions of our region."