Thousands experienced a major power outage in Anchorage and the MatSu Valley early Monday. This disruption was due to a significant loadshedding event, as reported by local utilities. Fortunately, power was restored within approximately one hour after the incident began.
Details of the Power Outage
At its peak, the outage affected roughly 19,000 residents. The Matanuska Electric Association (MEA), which serves areas from MatSu to Eagle River, confirmed this figure in a social media post at 9:47 a.m.
Response from Utilities
- Chugach Electric described the situation as a “load shedding event.”
- This term refers to the practice of reducing load on the power grid when a major source of power is offline.
- The exact cause of this load shed remains unclear.
Chugach Electric provided an update around 10:15 a.m., indicating that power had been restored. MEA followed suit with a similar announcement just before 10:45 a.m.
Investigation and Future Measures
According to Chugach Electric, early assessments suggested that both it and MEA had lost power generation, resulting in widespread outages across their service areas. As a proactive measure, the utility mentioned it was bringing additional generation resources online to support power restoration efforts.
The utility expressed gratitude toward customers for their understanding during this situation. Coordination continues to ensure stability and prevent future occurrences.