Kotzebue Electric Association, Inc.

Kotzebue Electric Association, Inc., doing business as Kotzebue Electric Association Inc., is a non-profit utility provider headquartered in Kotzebue, Alaska, that serves as the sole electric service supplier to the remote Arctic community. The organization has maintained its status as a registered federal government vendor since June 2001 and specializes in providing electrical utility services to both the local community and critical Department of Defense facilities in the region. Through both federal contracts and grants, Kotzebue Electric Association has demonstrated its expertise in delivering essential infrastructure services and advancing energy resilience initiatives in one of Alaska's most strategically significant and remote locations.

Kotzebue Electric Association, Inc. has consistently served as a prime contractor to the U.S. Department of the Air Force's Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) since fiscal year 2019, providing three-phase, 60-Hertz electrical service at 120/208 volts to the Air Force Forward Operating Base Kotzebue Air Force Station and Kotzebue Long Range Radar Site (LRRS). The company has received four firm fixed-price delivery order contracts for utility services, with contract values ranging from $146,144.46 in fiscal year 2022 to $372,620.00 in fiscal years 2023 and 2024. These contracts have covered successive fiscal years with performance periods of October through September, and none have utilized small business set-aside designations, reflecting the organization's status as the essential and sole provider of electricity to these military installations. The most recent contract, awarded October 1, 2024, is valued at $372,620.00 and has a performance period extending through September 30, 2025, demonstrating the ongoing and reliable nature of this critical federal relationship.

Kotzebue Electric Association, Inc. has emerged as a significant recipient of federal grant funding focused on energy resilience and grid modernization initiatives in Arctic communities. The organization has received three major prime grant awards totaling approximately $17.3 million from the Department of Energy and the Denali Commission to support transformative energy infrastructure projects. These grants include a $6,000,000 Cooperative Agreement under the Department of Energy's Electricity Research, Development and Analysis program (CFDA 81.122) for the Kotzebue Energy Sustainability and Resilience Project, which aims to decrease diesel generator reliance by implementing a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with grid-forming inverter technology, with completion expected by December 31, 2026. Additionally, the organization received an $11,264,933 Grid Infrastructure Deployment and Resilience project grant (CFDA 81.254) under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's Grid Resilience and Innovative Partnerships (GRIP) program, effective January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2029, which will improve energy and economic resilience by reducing energy costs, leveraging renewable sources including wind, solar, and hydropower, and lowering diesel fuel consumption and carbon emissions. A third project grant from the Denali Commission, awarded December 1, 2024 and focused on Battery Energy Storage System deployment, extends through December 31, 2026. Collectively, these grant awards position Kotzebue Electric Association as a leader in implementing innovative energy solutions that benefit rural, disadvantaged, and tribal communities while advancing the federal government's sustainability and resilience objectives.