MEA files tariff to launch Mat-Su community renewable energy program

Matanuska Electric Association wants to give its Mat-Su and Eagle River member-owners a new way into renewable energy without requiring a rooftop or private installation. The cooperative, which serves the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and parts of Anchorage and Eagle River, filed a tariff with the Regulatory Commission of Alaska to create a Community-Based Renewable Energy program. The filing asks the RCA to approve terms that would let member-owners subscribe to shared renewable facilities on the MEA grid. The public notice does not detail subscription pricing or direct rate impacts.

The filing also seeks to revise existing MEA tariff sheets. The RCA posted the notice on June 2, 2026, in Anchorage.

The public comment window closed at 5 p.m. on June 16. Comments were required through the RCA website or at the commission's address, with a copy sent to MEA. The commission's review is still underway. RCA tariff approvals often involve revisions during the regulatory process, and the commission can modify or condition approval based on comments and its own analysis. The program's final structure may differ from what MEA proposed.

How costs would be allocated among nonparticipating ratepayers remains an open question until the RCA completes its review.

Member-owners who want to track the docket can search tariff case TA585-18 at rca.alaska.gov.