Tribal Energy Snapshot: Alaska Village Electric Cooperative and Stebbins Native Corporation

Project Quick Facts 

Through a joint venture, AVEC and Stebbins Native Corporation installed a 900-kilowatt (kW) wind turbine to generate wind energy and help power two remote Alaska communities, Stebbins and Saint Michael. Both are Alaska Native Villages located on the Norton Sound, an inlet of the Bering Sea on the western coast of Alaska. 

AVEC is a nonprofit electric utility providing electrical services to 58 remote rural Alaska villages, including Stebbins and Saint Michael, and others scattered across 400,000 square miles of Alaskan wilderness. Each year, AVEC uses 160 diesel generators and purchases more than 9 million gallons of imported fuel to produce power for its member communities. Due to the remoteness of Alaska communities, the cost of diesel is much higher than in other areas of the United States, resulting in higher energy costs for many Alaska residents. In Stebbins and Saint Michael, for instance, heating fuel diesel cost as of April 2024 was roughly $7.41 per gallon.

The joint venture between AVEC and Stebbins Native Corporation was developed to provide enough wind energy to supply 50% of the total energy for Stebbins and Saint Michael, helping power the approximately 328 buildings in the two communities. The project will ultimately help stabilize or reduce energy costs, reduce diesel use, spur local economic development, and curb fossil fuel emissions.