Following the acquisition of Municipal Light & Power by Chugach Electric in 2020, Chugach is preparing to file a rate case with the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA).  Part of the approval process of the acquisition by the RCA included a requirement of combining the north and south rate classes into one by the end of 2023. Chugach south customers have not had a base rate adjustment since 2020; and the former ML&P customers (Chugach north) have not had a base rate adjustment since 2017.  Chugach's rate case will include giving members more options including time of use rates for residential and small commercial customers. 

 This webinar will give members a chance to hear more about the upcoming rate case and ask questions. Register here.

Chugach Electric Association, Inc. members elected three directors to the utility’s seven-member board of directors. Election results were announced Friday night, May 19, at the electric cooperative’s annual meeting. There were 264 members who registered at the meeting, held at ChangePoint in Anchorage, and an estimated 450 in total attendance.

Chugach members re-elected Bettina Chastain and elected Susanne Fleek-Green and Jim Nordlund to the Chugach Board of Directors.

In the 2023 election, 14,156 members cast ballots, a voter turnout of 15.7%  Of the members who voted, 14,091 voted electronically or by paper ballot before the annual meeting, and 65 members cast ballots in person at the meeting.

Bylaw change approved

Chugach members also approved a bylaw amendment creating a bill roundup program that will allow members to roundup their monthly bill to the nearest dollar. Once the program is created, donations made to the program will be managed by a charitable foundation which will oversee distribution of charity support to 501 (c) (3) organizations within the Chugach service territory. The cost to members who participate will be between $0.01 and $0.99 a month, for an average of $6.00 a year.

Member Appreciation Event

Prior to the annual meeting, a member appreciation event was held in the parking lot at ChangePoint featuring power plant tours, bucket truck rides, electric vehicle displays, energy education, and more.

An estimated 1,000  people attended the event which was held from 3 to 6 pm. This is the second year in a row Chugach has held the member appreciation event and annual meeting on the same day. The pairing is a big hit with members who enjoy the chance to engage with the member-owned cooperative.

A professional engineer with over 25 years of experience with a leading energy company in the Upper Midwest is joining Chugach Electric Association, Inc., as Chief Strategic Officer. Allan Rudeck Jr. will join Chugach in June 2023.

Rudeck comes to Chugach from ALLETE, a publicly held energy company headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota. ALLETE is comprised of regulated utilities as well as non-regulated operations and other energy-centric businesses. Rudeck played a key role in growing ALLETE to become the top ranked investor-owned utility for investment in renewable energy based on market capitalization. He has extensive experience with renewable energy development and acquisitions, including the addition of multiple large-scale wind projects, acquisition of a leading distributed solar company, as well as the diversification and decarbonization efforts at Minnesota Power, where the company transitioned its power supply from 95% coal in 2005, to 51% renewables in 2022.

“Al is going to be an excellent addition to the Chugach executive team,” said Chugach CEO Arthur Miller. “His experience with renewable energy projects and virtually all aspects of the electric utility industry will be a true asset to Chugach and our members.”

Rudeck has worked with ALLETE in various capacities since 1996 including Engineer, Plant Manager, Director of Engineering Services; Vice President, Generation; Vice President, Strategy and Planning; President, ALLETE Clean Energy; and, most recently, as ALLETE Safety and External Affairs Officer.

Some key responsibilities for Rudeck at Chugach will include leading the planning and development of key strategic initiatives, developing and maintaining Chugach’s Strategic Plan, preparing and maintaining the utility’s integrated resource plan, as well as working closely with key accounts and government and non-government organizations.

Rudeck has a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota Duluth.

You can read more about Al's position at Chugach in the Petroleum News: https://www.petroleumnews.com/pnads/46252364.shtml

With a continued focus on safe, reliable, affordable power, Chugach Electric is making good progress on our clean energy goals. Our Board Chair, Bettina Chastain, and our CEO, Arthur Miller, recently co-authored an editorial on the priorities and projects the cooperative is focused on as we work to add more renewable projects to our generation portfolio.

You can read it in these publications: