Metlakatla gets $166,000 to design a fix for its Purple Lake hydro plant

The Metlakatla Indian Community will receive $166,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy to design a measure protecting Purple Lake Hydro, the community's hydroelectric plant on Annette Island, from environmental impacts, according to the federal award record posted this week. The money funds design and engineering of a selected mitigated action, a chosen fix intended to shield the facility. It does not fund building it.

The tribe adds $18,444. Work runs from Oct. 1, 2026, through Sept. 30, 2028, at the Purple Lake site. Activities listed include literature review, interviews, geotechnical evaluation and analyses, project site visits, cost estimates and conceptual design, plus identifying environmental work required before implementation. Geotechnical means ground testing.

Purple Lake, owned by Metlakatla Power & Light, went online in 1956 and carries roughly 3.9 megawatts across three units. It is the larger of two hydro plants on a grid backed by 7.4 megawatts of diesel.

A federal record for the tribe's $5 million wind award puts diesel there at roughly 35 cents a kilowatt hour.

The award, ID DEEE0011447, is congressionally directed spending, meaning it was designated by lawmakers rather than won through open competition.