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AK — Power Infrastructure Updated January 8, 2026

Alaska

ASCC Solar Storage Natural Gas Queue Bottlenecks Transmission Constraints

Overview

Alaska’s Railbelt grid is a small, isolated system not connected to the Lower 48. The state’s power buildout focuses on reliability and resiliency rather than scale, with modest solar additions at existing gas plants, a 40 MW battery storage system commissioned in 2024, and a planned subsea HVDC link to eliminate a single point of failure between the Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage.

Generation Projects

Solar

Chugach Electric is deploying small-scale solar at existing facilities and launching a community solar pilot.

  • 85 kW at two gas plants: Chugach installed solar arrays at its Southcentral Power Project and George M. Sullivan Power Plant, with commercial operation expected by end of October 2024.[1]
  • 500 kW community solar pilot: Approved by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, this project at the Retherford Substation will be built by an independent power producer through an RFP process.[2]
  • 563 kW GVEA solar farm: Golden Valley Electric Association’s utility-scale solar facility has been online since October 2018, representing the main solar asset in Interior Alaska.[3]

Transmission and Grid

The Alaska Energy Authority’s CIPLink project is a planned 200 MW bidirectional HVDC link between the Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage/Mat-Su. The project includes a 38-mile subsea cable, overland routes, and converter stations, designed to remove the single point of failure between Kenai and Anchorage. AEA is working on preliminary design, route evaluation, environmental review, and procurement planning in FY2025.[4]

Alaska Intertie

The existing Intertie connects Anchorage and Fairbanks load centers, with substations at Healy, Teeland, and Douglas. The backbone supports energy exchange and reserve sharing between the regions.[5]

Railbelt Transmission Organization

The AEA-hosted RTO (regional transmission organization) manages an open-access transmission tariff and handles transmission cost recovery, ancillary services, and interconnection planning for the Railbelt.[6]

Battery Storage

Chugach/MEA BESS

Commissioned in 2024, this 40 MW, two-hour battery system near the Southcentral Power Project uses 24 Tesla Megapacks and cost $65 million. The system supports Railbelt reliability, reduces spinning reserves, and cuts gas consumption.[7]

GVEA BESS

GVEA’s battery system can deliver 25 MW for 15 minutes or up to 40 MW for shorter durations. Installed in 2003, it was required for Intertie reliability and serves as fast-response backup for transmission or generation trips.[8]

Interconnection Queue

Alaska’s Railbelt grid is not part of a FERC RTO/ISO, and the state does not maintain a publicly posted interconnection queue. Interconnection requests are handled through individual utility and RCA processes under the RTO’s open-access tariff framework. AEA has identified the Willow-to-Healy segment as a single point of failure, representing a reliability bottleneck for large new loads that would rely on Railbelt transfers.[4][6]

What to Watch

  • CIPLink funding and schedule: Track AEA’s progress on securing final funding and moving the Cook Inlet PowerLink into construction.
  • Large-load interconnections: Monitor RCA filings for any pending data center, mining, or industrial loads seeking Railbelt interconnection.
  • Willow-to-Healy transmission upgrade: Watch for proposals to address the remaining single point of failure on the Intertie.

Sources

[1] Chugach Electric Association, Inc., “Solar Panel Installation Begins on Chugach Power Plants,” September 3, 2024, https://www.chugachelectric.com/your-cooperative/news-community/news-releases/2024/9/3/solar-panel-installation-begins-on-chugach-power-plants (accessed January 8, 2026).

[2] Chugach Electric Association, Inc., “Chugach Electric Pursues Community Solar Program; Regulators Give the Green Light for Project to Move Forward,” February 16, 2024, https://www.chugachelectric.com/your-cooperative/news-community/news-releases/2024/2/16/chugach-electric-pursues-community-solar-program-regulators-give-the-green-light-for-project-to-move-forward (accessed January 8, 2026).

[3] Golden Valley Electric Association, “GVEA’s Solar Farm,” October 2018, https://www.gvea.com/services/energy/sources-of-power/gveas-solar-farm/ (accessed January 8, 2026).

[4] Alaska Energy Authority, “Cook Inlet PowerLink Project,” https://www.akenergyauthority.org/What-We-Do/Railbelt-Energy/Cook-Inlet-PowerLink-Project (accessed January 8, 2026).

[5] Alaska Energy Authority, “Alaska Intertie,” https://www.akenergyauthority.org/What-We-Do/Railbelt-Energy/Alaska-Intertie (accessed January 8, 2026).

[6] Alaska Energy Authority, “Railbelt Transmission Organization,” https://www.akenergyauthority.org/What-We-Do/Railbelt-Energy/Railbelt-Transmission-Organization (accessed January 8, 2026).

[7] Chugach Electric Association, Inc., “Battery Energy Storage System Officially Commissioned,” October 7, 2024, https://www.chugachelectric.com/your-cooperative/news-community/news-releases/2024/10/7/battery-energy-storage-system-officially-commissioned (accessed January 8, 2026).

[8] Golden Valley Electric Association, “Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS),” August 9, 2022, https://www.gvea.com/services/energy/sources-of-power/battery-energy-storage-systems-bess/ (accessed January 8, 2026).