Railbelt grid
RSSAlaska's main interconnected electrical grid running from Homer in the south through Anchorage, the Mat-Su, and Fairbanks. Served by six utilities (Chugach Electric, MEA, HEA, Golden Valley, ML&P-merged, Seward Electric) coordinating through the newly formed Railbelt Transmission Organization (RTO). Subject of ongoing federal investment in grid modernization, renewables integration, and reliability improvements.
Alaska's transmission tariff would grandfather 11 existing agreements
Alaska created a body to end the tolls utilities charge each other for moving power. Its plan would leave 11 existing agreements in place indefinitely.
by Melinda Communities.News6d ago1 min readAI
A $400 million expansion of Bradley Lake hydro would power about 30,000 homes and cut Southcentral's gas use
A $400 million Bradley Lake hydro expansion would power about 30,000 homes and offset 1.5 billion cubic feet of gas a year, easing Southcentral's gas crunch.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
A $413 million cable would give Kenai and Anchorage a second power link
One transmission path links Kenai to Anchorage. A $413 million subsea cable would add a second, if AEA can raise the half that isn't federal.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
Alaska's main power grid is getting its first mandatory cybersecurity rules, but not for years
Alaska's main power grid is finally getting mandatory cybersecurity rules, but none takes effect until 2027 at the earliest, phasing in slowly through 2029.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
Railbelt ratepayers will repay up to $100M for a Bradley Lake expansion built around federal tax credits
Railbelt electric customers will repay up to $100M to expand the Bradley Lake hydro plant, its dam sized to chase up to $200M in federal tax credits.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readAI
As Cook Inlet gas runs short, Alaska moves to squeeze 38% more power from an existing dam
With Cook Inlet gas set to run short by 2027, Alaska wants to squeeze 38% more power from the existing Bradley Lake dam — raising the reservoir 16 feet and piping in glacier melt, no new plant required.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 1mo ago2 min readAI
Railbelt Transmission Organization schedules three subcommittee meetings
The Railbelt Transmission Organization scheduled three closed subcommittee meetings in late July to finalize a tariff that would standardize power-sharing charges among utilities.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
The public can't sit in as the Railbelt reworks your power costs
The body redrawing how Railbelt transmission costs get split is meeting behind closed doors this week — legal under its own bylaws, though the binding decisions still face public review.
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago1 min readAI
DNR, Mental Health Trust finalize MEA easements for Wasilla utility corridor
DNR and the Alaska Mental Health Trust approved easements letting Matanuska Electric Association build and maintain power lines along Church Road and Shampine Lane in Wasilla.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
RTO tariff subcommittee meets Thursday on transmission costs
The Railbelt Transmission Organization's Tariff Subcommittee meets Thursday to draft rules for how backbone transmission costs get divided among utilities. The tariff will affect electric rates from Fairbanks to Homer.
by Alaska News2mo ago2 min readAI
RTO schedules closed subcommittee meetings for June 10–11
The Railbelt Transmission Organization will hold three closed subcommittee meetings June 10 and 11 to discuss technical standards, transmission tariffs, and financing for Alaska's 700-mile electric grid serving two-thirds of the state's population.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago1 min readAI