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. REAP is 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.

This webinar will give attendees 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 excited to 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 you will join us for this timely discussion about a model for systemwide coordination that could stand to 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 is open to the public. Invite others to join us for this important discussion!

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 will be broadcast live as a Zoom webinar (register here)

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