Railbelt electricity ratepayers are already feeling the sting of rising energy costs due to dwindling supplies of Cook Inlet gas. The region’s electric utilities are stepping into the global market for natural gas to bridge the gap, just as we watch global fossil fuel prices rise and grow more volatile.

But there may be institutional changes and innovation that can blunt some of the cost increases that are otherwise on the way. That is why REAP was proud to host its final 2026 Spring Energy Speaker Series event on the concept of Unified Economic Dispatch – a coordinated system for generating and distributing power among the Railbelt’s utilities to minimize electricity costs and improve grid resilience.

The webinar recording will give viewers a basic understanding of:

• What Unified Economic Dispatch (UED) is;
• Benefits that UED could bring to Alaska ratepayers;
• Examples of ways that UED has been utilized elsewhere in the U.S.; and
• How a UED model might be crafted to fit Alaska’s Railbelt region.

We are grateful to Cook Inlet Region, Inc. for helping us host this final installment in REAP’s 2026 Spring Energy Speaker Series with Julie Estey, Matanuska Electric Association’s Chief Strategy Officer. And we hope this discussion inspires you to join us in identifying and promoting the adoption of a UED solution that could save Railbelt ratepayers tens of millions of dollars every year in energy costs!

Email REAP’s Outreach Director, Donovan Russoniello, at drussoniello@realaska.org with any questions.

Event Details

Who: This free event was open to the public.

What: An in-depth conversation with Alaska energy experts about the concept of Unified Economic Dispatch, the value it can bring to Alaska ratepayers, and its potential fit for the Railbelt grid.

Where: This event was broadcast live as a Zoom webinar (watch the recording here)

When: This free public event was held from Noon to 1:00pm on Thursday, May 21, 2026.