Press Release: 12 Communities Selected for Alaska Energyshed Clean Energy Project
Launch Alaska and the Alaska Municipal League are pleased to announce the selection of 12 Alaska communities to participate in the Alaska Energyshed, a U.S. Department of Energy-backed initiative to identify and secure funding for multiple new clean energy projects in Northwest and Southeast Alaska by 2026.
The 12 participating communities are:
Ambler
Buckland
Deering
Kotzebue
Selawik
Shungnak
Angoon
Haines
Hoonah
Kake
Metlakatla
Yakutat
Alaska Energyshed receives regional support from Southeast Conference and DeerStone Consulting, and major funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). In collaboration with participating communities, the Alaska Energyshed aims to secure a combined $10 million in public and private funding to support at least three new clean energy projects.
“By packaging individual projects into a larger, unified effort, we can reduce development costs, increase investor interest, leverage diverse resources, and build a broadly replicable process to support clean energy development across Alaska,” said Isaac Vanderburg, Launch Alaska CEO. “We’re excited to work with so many Alaska communities dedicated to creating more sustainable energy systems, and we look forward to the economic momentum this initiative can bring to our state.”
After completing an inventory of existing local power infrastructure in the selected communities, Alaska Energyshed will deploy digital tools to share data and facilitate discussion. Potential energy projects will be consolidated for evaluation and eventual selection, and community input and feedback will guide project design and prioritization, supported by techno-economic analysis from the National Renewable Energy Lab. Clean energy projects can include wind, solar, batteries, power plant and powerline upgrades, energy efficiency, heat pumps, and other activities.
“This is an unprecedented opportunity to build consensus and partnerships to address Alaska’s energy challenges,” said Nils Andreassen, Alaska Municipal League executive director. “We’re proud to support these 12 selected communities as they seek to develop more resilient infrastructure and power generation solutions.”
The project will take approximately three years, from May 2023 to August 2026.
About Launch Alaska
Launch Alaska is an Anchorage-based nonprofit on a mission to accelerate the energy transition and decarbonize the globe. Learn more at launchalaska.com.
About Alaska Municipal League
The Alaska Municipal League (AML) is a member-service organization comprised of Alaska’s 165 cities and boroughs, dedicated to strengthening local government. Learn more at AKML.org.