Alaska power link planned with up to $150m in federal funding
The proposed Beluga-Healy line would add a second high-voltage route between Southcentral and Interior Alaska.
AI illustrationA planned electricity link between Beluga and Healy would give Alaska's grid another route for moving power between populated communities and military installations. The Energy Department said it intends to use Defense Production Act funding to support the project, which carries a preliminary planning estimate of approximately $418 million.
The Alaska Energy Authority's proposal combines up to $150 million from that federal funding program with $268 million in non-federal funding. Approximately 223 miles of new transmission line are planned. The department described the connection as a second high-voltage route between Southcentral and Interior Alaska.
Once the line is complete, grid operators would have an additional pathway for electricity. The department expects that route to improve reliability and lower electricity costs for approximately 75% of Alaska's population. It said the project would serve major military installations as well as the state's most densely populated communities.
Office of Electricity Assistant Secretary Katie Jereza said the additional route would help protect communities from disruptions and meet growing demand. Chris Wright also linked the infrastructure expansion to military development, mining and other resource projects considered important to national security.
The proposed support draws on a broader federal allocation for energy infrastructure. The department said $1 billion has been appropriated for energy projects deemed critical to national security under the Working Families Tax Cut. It cited a presidential determination identifying transmission lines, conductors, substations, and power-control and protection equipment as essential to national defense.
The announcement sets out the department's funding intention and the project's preliminary cost estimate. The additional grid connection, its reliability benefits and the expected reductions in electricity costs depend on the planned infrastructure being completed.