The House Rules Committee, which controls what legislation goes to the House floor, meets on Jan. 17, 2024 to consider a wide-ranging education bill. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media)
Stories are posted on the statewide news page. Send news tips, questions, and comments to news@alaskapublic.org. Follow Alaska Public Media on Facebook and on Twitter @AKPublicNews. And subscribe to the Alaska News Nightly podcast.
Tuesday on Alaska News Nightly:
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Lawmakers spar over a bill to fund public education in the long term. Plus, advocates for building up the military in Alaska say the state is vital to Arctic security. And, a warming shelter opens for homeless Sitka residents.
Reports tonight from:
Chris Klint and Ava White in Anchorage
Evan Erickson in Bethel
Clarise Larson and Eric Stone in Juneau
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Brian Venua in Kodiak
Meredith Redick in Sitka
Liz Ruskin in Washington, D.C.
This episode of Alaska News Nightly is hosted by Wesley Early, with audio engineering from Chris Hyde and producing from Tim Rockey.
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Tim Rockey is the producer of Alaska News Nightly and covers education for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at trockey@alaskapublic.org or 907-550-8487. Read more about Tim here.
The Bradley Lake Dam on the Kenai Peninsula. (NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Office)
No matter what kind of energy we produce — natural gas, hydro, wind, solar or other legacy fuels — it is only as useful as our ability to deliver it where it is needed. The electricity we consume relies on the substations and distribution lines in our neighborhoods which is in turn dependent on high-voltage transmission infrastructure — the backbone of every electric grid. Any path forward for Alaska’s energy future depends on strengthening this backbone.
The Railbelt electric transmission system stretches 700 miles from Homer to Fairbanks powering roughly 70 % of Alaskans. Built piecemeal over decades, it remains a patchwork of transmission lines operated by five separate utilities. The resulting system is akin to a string of extension cords — some sturdy, others worn — but inadequate for our current and future needs. This fragmentation drives up costs, reduces reliability, and keeps the lowest-cost power from reaching customers when it is needed most.
Case in point: The cheapest electric energy in the Railbelt is generated by the Bradley Lake Hydroelectric plant near Homer. However, because of transmission bottlenecks, that energy can’t always flow north when demand peaks, forcing utilities to use more expensive fuel. Removing these bottlenecks will give Railbelt consumers full access to Bradley Lake’s clean, low-cost power.
Alaska’s Railbelt utilities and the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) have identified a coordinated, multi-year roadmap to build a reliable, efficient and lower-cost energy backbone for the Railbelt. This plan can be implemented in stages, tackling the most urgent constraints first to deliver savings quickly. Some of this work is already underway.
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The Sterling-to-Quartz Creek transmission link on the Kenai Peninsula is undergoing a major upgrade financed through AEA bonds to improve the system’s overall capacity and reliability and reduce power losses. New battery storage projects are also strengthening the grid by providing emergency backup and frequency control. These projects will pay dividends for decades.
In addition, AEA secured $206.5 million from a Department of Energy grant for the next phase of Railbelt modernization. The project will install a high-voltage direct-current submarine cable across Cook Inlet, creating redundancy and increasing capacity so utilities can better access Bradley Lake power. While these federal funds were thought to be in jeopardy in early 2025, they remain available. However, they require a dollar-for-dollar match to move forward.
As steps are taken to allow full access to Bradley Lake’s low-cost power generation, planning is also underway to supply more water to the dam’s generators via the Dixon Diversion project, which will boost power output by up to 50%. Getting more electricity out of existing infrastructure makes sense — especially if we can move that power to end users when they need it. Success with these projects will benefit rural energy users: because the Power Cost Equalization (PCE) program is tied to Railbelt rates, lower cost power on the Railbelt reduces rates across Alaska.
A stronger transmission system will also provide a means for new power generation to supply the Railbelt electric market. Better transmission removes the hurdle of geography, making the entire system more efficient, flexible and affordable — for whatever new generation comes online.
Finally, stronger governance will matter as much as stronger wires. We must also continue the state and utility effort to write fair operating rules for the Railbelt’s shared transmission system to ensure that these investments deliver long-term reliability and affordability for everyone connected to the grid.
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Transmission may not be flashy, but it is the foundation of everything else. If we want affordable, reliable power and a stronger economy, we must invest in the infrastructure that makes it possible. What’s needed now is clear state leadership, coordinated utility action, and the backing of Alaskans to move these projects forward.
Gene Therriault served in the Alaska state House of Representatives and Alaska Senate from 1993 to 2009, and is a senior adviser of New Energy Alaska. Subsequent roles include serving as senior energy adviser to Gov. Sean Parnell, vice president of Golden Valley Electric Association and deputy director for statewide energy policy development at the Alaska Energy Authority. He lives in Fairbanks.
Brian Hickey lives in Anchorage and has over 40 years of experience working in construction, engineering and operations in the Alaska Railbelt electric grid. Most recently, he was executive director of Railbelt Regional Coordination and led Railbelt’s joint effort to obtain the $206.5 million Department of Energy grant for AEA. He is also the general manager of Seward Electric Systems in Seward.
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Wrangell’s Alana Harrison, center, huddles with her teammates in a game against Unalaska in the girls volleyball 2A state tournament at Dimond High School on December 4, 2025. (Marc Lester / ADN)
High School
Hockey
Tuesday
Monroe Catholic 8, Lathrop 3
West 3, Wasilla 1
South 2, Dimond 0
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Wednesday
North Pole 9, West Valley 6
Delta 6, Monroe Catholic 5
West 1, Chugiak 0
Thursday
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Palmer 5, Kenai Central 2
North Pole 8, Colony 2
Friday
Palmer 6, Soldotna 0
West Valley 7, Colony 2
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Juneau-Douglas 4, Kenai Central 2
Kodiak 6, Service 3
Dimond 3, Eagle River 0
Saturday
Service 4, Kodiak 3
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Juneau-Douglas 8, Kenai Central 2
Palmer 14, Homer 2
Wasilla 6, Chugiak 3
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Volleyball
Thursday
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Nelson Island 2, SISD 0 (25-20, 25-15)
Susitna Valley 3, Metlakatla 0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-14)
Martin L Olson 2, Nunamiut 1 (25-14, 23-25, 25-21)
Susitna Valley 3, Dillingham 1 (25-9, 23-25, 25-15, 25-21)
Shaktoolik 2, Anchor Lutheran 0 (25-9, 25-17)
Kisimgiugtuq 2, Aniak 0 (28-25, 25-20)
Unalaska 3, Sand Point 0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-23)
Tanalian’s Erik McGee and Warren Davis reach for a block on Nelson Island’s Gordon Pitka in the mixed six volleyball state tournament at Dimond High School on December 4, 2025. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Friday
Scammon Bay 2, Gustavus 1 (20-25, 25-21, 25-17)
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Nelson Island 2, Emmonak 0 (25-23, 25-18)
Metlakatla 3, Glennallen 0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-12)
Aniak 2, SISD 0 (25-16, 25-20)
Nunamiut 2, Anchor Lutheran 0 (25-13, 25-5)
Nunamiut 2, Aniak 0 (25-22, 25-16)
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Nelson Island 2, Scammon Bay 1 (25-10, 23-25, 25-0)
PALMER — High winds knocked out power for thousands in Mat-Su on Saturday morning with gusts forecast up to 80 mph in places before the weekend ends.
As of 9 a.m., there were nearly 17,000 members without power, according to Matanuska Electric Association. Major outages included Knik-Goose Bay and Fairview Loop roads. Another large outage knocked out more than 2,000 members from Palmer to Hatcher Pass.
There were reports of trees down on some side roads and damaged railroad crossing gates, as well as at least one small brush fire sparked by a downed power line.
By 10 a.m., the Palmer Airport had recorded a gust of 84 mph while the Wasilla Airport and the Glenn Highway near the Parks Highway had seen gusts of between 70 and 74 mph, according to weather station observations.
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A high wind warning from the National Weather Service is in place until 11 p.m. Sunday for the Matanuska Valley including Wasilla, Sutton, Big Lake, Chickaloon and Palmer. The warning calls for northeast winds of 30 to 40 mph with possible gusts up to 80 mph. Wind chill could drop to between minus 10 and minus 20 degrees by Sunday evening, the agency said.
Power outages began early Saturday morning.
“We have multiple crews out in the field and are calling in more as they become available. Winds are not expected to die down today and will last into at least tomorrow evening,” Matanuska Electric Association said in a Facebook post, encouraging people to avoid downed power lines. “Please stay safe – there is a lot of debris scattered outside.”
Wasilla police warned that numerous traffic signals were dark Saturday morning due to power outages. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough announced the central landfill near Palmer is closed Saturday due to high winds.Palmer airport officials on Friday urged pilots to secure all aircraft.
A high wind advisory for the Anchorage area and the northwest Kenai Peninsula — including Nikiski, Kenai, Soldotna and Sterling — remains in effect until 11 p.m. Sunday. Forecasters expected north winds of 20 to 30 mph and gusts up to 50, and wind chill dropping to between minus 5 and minus 15 by Sunday night. Knik Arm, West Anchorage and areas along the coast of northern Cook Inlet were likely to experience the strongest winds, according to the advisory.
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This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
