Alaska Delegation Welcomes $150M Investment in Beluga-Healy Transmission Project

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA —U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski and Congressman Nick Begich (all R-Alaska) today celebrated an announcement from the U.S. Department of Energy of up to $150 million in Defense Production Act (DPA) funding to strengthen electrical transmission between Southcentral and Interior Alaska. The Alaska Energy Authority’s (AEA) Beluga-Healy Transmission Project will provide a second high-voltage connection along the Railbelt, allowing for the transmission of more affordable energy—lowering costs for Alaska residents and businesses, improving power redundancy and reliability across the Railbelt, further integrating regional grids into the Railbelt network, supporting new sources of electricity generation, and helping accommodate expected demand for electricity from major military, infrastructure, and resource development projects planned across the state. “The major federal investment announced today is all about a brighter future for Alaska: strengthening the reliability and redundancy of Alaska’s Railbelt electrical backbone, lowering costs for our hard-working families and small businesses, especially in the Interior, and preparing for the historic investments coming to our state to build out our infrastructure, develop our resources, and build up our Alaska-based military,” said Sen. Sullivan . “My team and I have pushed hard for this project, which will also lay the groundwork to integrate new power sources that could be on the horizon—whether from hydroelectric, tidal and other renewables, or natural gas and coal—making Alaska’s energy future more resilient up and down the Railbelt. I want to thank Secretary Wright for joining me recently at the Alaska Energy Authority with local utilities in our state to learn more about this important project and for working to unlock these funds for the benefit of Alaskans and our national security.” “One of the best ways to improve affordability in Alaska is to drive down energy costs, and this announcement will help do just that,” said Sen. Murkowski . “The Beluga-Healy project will help facilitate new generation and strengthen reliability by creating a second pathway to move power across the Railbelt and adding redundancy to our grid. The delegation has been pushing for this for years, and we’re grateful to the Department of Energy for partnering with us to advance this important investment in Alaska’s energy infrastructure.” “Alaska sits at the crossroads of America’s national security, and as our state becomes increasingly important to our nation’s defense strategy, we must have the energy infrastructure capable of supporting that mission. That is why my team and I have worked to advance the Beluga-Healy transmission project and make the case that strengthening Alaska’s Railbelt grid is a national security imperative. Today’s announcement is an important result of that work,” said Congressman Begich . “I’m grateful to Secretary Wright for recognizing the strategic importance of this project, and to Senator Sullivan for his partnership in helping get this investment across the finish line. This new transmission line will provide a critical second pathway for power between Southcentral and Interior Alaska that will strengthen military readiness and support Alaska families and businesses.” “Thanks to Senator Sullivan, I received an extensive briefing from the Alaska Energy Authority during my recent visit to Anchorage in August,” said Secretary of Energy Chris Wright . “This meeting, combined with briefings from Alaska Command, confirmed the need to support an expansion of Alaska’s energy infrastructure. This project will not only support the major U.S. military expansion currently underway in Alaska, but also mining and other resource development critical to our national security.” “This announcement reflects Alaska’s importance to our nation’s security and future prosperity,” said AEA CEO and Executive Director Curtis W. Thayer . “We thank Alaska’s congressional delegation and the Department of Energy for recognizing the importance of strengthening the Railbelt transmission system. Today, the Railbelt relies on a single transmission corridor from Homer to Fairbanks, with limited ability to reroute power when a major transmission line is disrupted. The Beluga-Healy project complements ongoing efforts to establish a critical second pathway for moving power across the Railbelt, strengthening reliability and resilience for approximately 75 percent of Alaska’s population, including seven military installations that depend on reliable electric service.” “This is a critical time for Alaska and the nation,” said Tony Izzo, Chief Executive Officer of Matanuska Electric Association , which serves the fastest-growing area in Alaska. “Investing in Alaska’s energy infrastructure is one of the highest-impact actions we can take to strengthen energy security and lower costs for Alaskans. It also positions Alaska as a reliable, affordable partner in supporting the nation’s strategic military presence and development of domestic resources, including oil, gas, gold and rare earth minerals.” “The second transmission line between Beluga and Healy is a long-needed upgrade to the Railbelt grid, providing additional capacity, resiliency, and redundancy for the Interior of Alaska, including the five military installations connected to the GVEA system,” said Travis Million, President and CEO of Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA) . The Beluga-Healy Transmission Project consists of a 223-mile, 230-kilovolt overhead electric transmission line running from the Beluga, Alaska substation through West Susitna, where a new substation will be constructed, toward Willow and north to connect to existing infrastructure in Healy. The Beluga-Healy project will integrate into the Alaska Energy Authority’s (AEA) Cook Inlet PowerLink transmission project already in development to improve transmission between the Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage. The project is intended to accommodate increasing demand for electricity across the Railbelt, including demand from the $7 billion “Fighter Town USA” recapitalization program planned for Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) and major planned resource development projects, as well as the current and future expansions of the U.S. military’s presence in the Interior at Clear Space Force Station, Fort Wainwright, Eielson Air Force Base, Fort Greely, and the U.S. Army Northern Warfare Training Center. Several executive orders issued by the Trump administration will be utilized to support the project, including EO 14153, “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential,” and EO 14156, “Declaring a National Energy Emergency,” which are focused on expediting permitting timelines and cutting through bureaucratic red tape. # # #