Alaska seeks suppliers for $413M Cook Inlet undersea power cable

The Alaska Energy Authority has issued a request for preliminary cost estimates from submarine cable companies for the Cook Inlet PowerLink project. This proposed $413 million undersea transmission system aims to establish a second electrical connection across Cook Inlet, connecting the Kenai Peninsula to the Beluga area via approximately 40 miles of seabed.

The project is designed to provide the Homer Electric Association with an alternative route to Alaska’s Railbelt power grid, reducing the peninsula's current reliance on a single transmission corridor. The cable would initially have a capacity of 100 megawatts, with the potential to expand to 200 megawatts.

While the project seeks to mitigate the impact of prolonged transmission outages, the authority still needs to secure approximately $142 million to complete it. Additionally, final construction costs, the specific route, and the ultimate impact on utility customers have not yet been finalized. The current request seeks to identify manufacturers capable of meeting federal ‘Buy America’ provisions for the specialized equipment required.