Joint Statement from Chugach Electric Association and Matanuska Electric Association on Gov. Dunleavy’s approval of the Final Fish and Wildlife Program

We appreciate Governor Mike Dunleavy’s approval of the Proposed Final Fish and Wildlife Program for the Eklutna Hydroelectric Project and his review of the proposed final program over the past several months. We will review his changes to better understand what they mean for the program and our co-op members. 

Chugach Electric Association and Matanuska Electric Association, both member-owned cooperatives, have spent the past five years working with key stakeholders to develop a program grounded in scientific research, environmental studies, and community input. The proposed final program represents a significant milestone in balancing our communities’ needs for reliable, affordable, and clean year-round energy with the enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat in the Eklutna River.

While additional evaluation is underway, we remain focused on moving forward with the core elements of the program, which include the construction of the Eklutna River Release Facility, establishing year-round instream flows, and ongoing habitat improvements based on real-time monitoring. The approved provisions for protecting Anchorage’s municipal water supply remain a top priority, alongside our goal of enhancing fish habitat.

We are committed to working collaboratively with our partners over the coming decades to implement the Final Fish and Wildlife Program for the project. 

For more information, please visit www.eklutnahydro.com.

Chugach is preparing to launch Alaska’s first community solar program that will allow members to voluntarily subscribe and receive solar energy from the project. Chugach’s plan is for a 500-kilowatt (kW), four-acre community solar project to be built next to its Retherford Substation on E. 94th Avenue next to the railroad tracks, about a half mile south of the Dimond Center. Members may voluntarily subscribe to pay for 1 to 20 panels and have the energy from those panels credited to their bill.

The project is expected to start producing power in summer 2025. Chugach is currently soliciting proposals for design and construction of the solar facility. The cost of subscriptions will be announced after proposals are received and other costs are finalized.

To learn more and receive project updates and announcements of when enrollment begins, visit the Community Solar Project page.

Chugach leadership recently sent a letter to the Anchorage Assembly clarifying questions some Assembly members have had about the 1991 Fish & Wildlife Agreement. The 1991 Agreement is the contract signed by Chugach, Matanuska Electric Association, and the Municipality of Anchorage when they bought the Eklutna Hydroelectric Project from the federal government in the 1990s. Read the letter.

Chugach has completed an update to its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). The IRP maps the utility’s long-term generation plans designed to meet its decarbonization goals. Read more.

Those goals include reducing our carbon intensity by at least 35% by 2030 and at least 50% by 2040 with no material negative impact on rates or reliability.