Joining forces with the YWCA this summer, Chugach staff taught students about the electric utility industry as part of the YWCA Alaska Energy Camp. The group, who learned about energy efficiency, careers, and safety, got an inside look of the Sullivan Power Plant. 

“We’re excited to help educate young Alaskans about the importance of our industry and the many opportunities to work in this field,” said Chugach CEO Arthur Miller. “Connecting with the community is a key principle of a member-owned cooperative and this is a great way to make that connection.”

Chugach joined members of IBEW Local 1547 and other dignitaries for the ribbon cutting in June of a new electric vehicle (EV) charging station at the union’s Denali Street office. The charging station is the latest addition to the utility’s EV charging station incentive program designed to help promote the use of electric vehicles and build an EV charging corridor in the Railbelt.

The incentive program offers members bill credits ranging from $200 to $5,000 to help defer costs of installing an EV charging station. The IBEW has also incorporated the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program into its curriculum which trains electricians in how to work on EV infrastructure.

Students from across Anchorage had the chance to tour Chugach’s two power plants as part of the Power Pledge Challenge. Leola Rutherford’s 6th grade students from Girdwood School toured Chugach’s Southcentral Power Project as the 2022 statewide winner. Ian Dickson’s 7th and 8th graders from Northern Lights ABC School toured Sullivan Plant 2A as the Anchorage winner.

More than 1,200 Kindergarten through 12th grade students from 22 schools around the state participated in the Challenge this year. Classes had the opportunity to complete monthly and year-long challenges from September 2021 to March 2022. The Power Pledge Challenge is an initiative from AK EnergySmart aimed at helping youth better understand energy use. Students complete projects to earn monthly prizes and accumulate points throughout the year for a chance to win regional and state prizes.

Chugach’s safety team recently visited fourth graders at Rilke Schule German School of Arts and Sciences to teach the students about electricity. This is the first “Safety City” in-person presentation we have given since the pandemic began two years ago.

The centerpiece of the presentation is the Safety City model used to demonstrate a variety of contact hazards associated with overhead and underground service. The model is powered by a transformer producing a 10,000-volt, 28-milliamp current which creates dramatic arcs when electrical contacts are made.

Objectives of the lessons include why electricity is important, how electricity is made, and how to be safe around electricity.