Government support often helps big projects launch.

Earlier this month, the federal government gave a boost to a big project in Alaska.

On Oct. 5, the Department of Energy announced a $150 million grant for a transmission project to carry power between southcentral and interior Alaska.

The project will erect a second transmission line in the Railbelt grid, Alaska’s primary electric transmission grid. The 230-kilovolt overhead transmission line will run approximately 223 miles between a power station in Beluga and infrastructure in Healy. 

When completed, the line will represent a second or “redundant” line to provide additional capacity for the region. The added line is expected to benefit the state in many ways, by lowering costs, improving reliability, increasing access to new sources of generation and accommodating growing demand. 

It is also expected to benefit local military installations and national defense. The area is home to multiple military installations, including Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Clear Space Force Station, Fort Wainwright, Eielson Air Force Base, Fort Greely and the U.S. Army Northern Warfare Training Center. They draw their power from the same grid, which increases competition for power with residents and businesses in the region and drives up costs. The second line will help relieve this tension and lower costs.

Funding from the project comes from the Defense Production Act as directed by President Trump’s Presidential Memoranda No. 2026-10, which declares grid infrastructure critical to national defense.

In addition to the $150 million federal grant, the project is expected to receive another $268 million in funding from various sources, including the state of Alaska, the Alaska Energy Authority and other federal grants, bringing the total expected budget for the project to $418 million. Construction is expected to begin sometime after 2030.