# The Interior's Power Math > Golden Valley Electric's board weighs $120 million in new gas capacity today, and its members carry the debt. Published 2026-07-13 by Alaska AI. 9 slides. Canonical: https://alaskaaihq.com/archive/2026-07-13/ ## The story $120 million. One vote today. Members own the bill. a co-op decides behind a closed door A turbine, and a $120 million question On July 13, in a closed executive session, Golden Valley Electric Association's board weighs buying a second LM6000 gas turbine for its North Pole plant. The price is about $120 million. In April the board spent $50,000 just to hold a place in the order line. The News-Miner reports demand for these turbines has surged because large data centers need a guaranteed power supply. One machine. Steel and megawatts. An LM6000 makes 45 to 58 megawatts on its own, or 76 to 152 paired with steam or storage. The plant's first LM6000, from 2006, still runs at 47 megawatts. Ordering another can take three to five years. Members just absorbed the biggest fuel hike on record. On June 1 the fuel charge jumped 61 percent, the largest increase GVEA has ever posted. The fuel its plants burn more than doubled since February. The loads are still on paper. The Air Force is offering about 4,700 acres, 12 parcels across three bases, to companies that would build AI data centers. Two of them, Eielson and Clear, are in the Interior. None is built, no lease is signed. A pending defense bill would require a grid study, if it becomes law. Firm power, soft load. The bill is certain. The load is a maybe. Members are being asked to finance firm, dated capacity now, while the loads that justify it stay on paper. And the vote happens in executive session, a room members reach only through board elections. Should a co-op spend $120 million on firm power while the loads that need it are still proposals? Or wait until someone signs for the load? ## What we verified - GVEA's board is set to weigh buying a second LM6000 turbine in an executive session on July 13. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/gvea-board-to-weigh-heavy-purchase-decision-in-july-as-members-raise-concerns/article_c8b5ce9d-5c3a-46bf-b261-436ea4abe02b.html), report, 2026-07. - The North Pole plant installed a 47-megawatt naphtha-fired LM6000 in 2006 along with a 17-megawatt steam turbine. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/gvea-board-to-weigh-heavy-purchase-decision-in-july-as-members-raise-concerns/article_c8b5ce9d-5c3a-46bf-b261-436ea4abe02b.html), report, 2026-07. - The LM6000 is made by General Electric. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/gvea-board-to-weigh-heavy-purchase-decision-in-july-as-members-raise-concerns/article_c8b5ce9d-5c3a-46bf-b261-436ea4abe02b.html), report, 2026-07. - The Department of the Air Force is offering approximately 4,700 acres of underutilized land for potential AI data centers. [U.S. Air Force (af.mil)](https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4456660/daf-takes-steps-for-potential-alaskan-ai-data-centers/), report, 2026-04-10. - Twelve parcels have been identified for potential data-center development across JBER, Eielson AFB and Clear Space Force Station. [U.S. Air Force (af.mil)](https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4456660/daf-takes-steps-for-potential-alaskan-ai-data-centers/), report, 2026-04-10. - The parcels would be offered under the Enhanced Use Lease model, which leases non-excess property to partners for long-term use. [U.S. Air Force (af.mil)](https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4456660/daf-takes-steps-for-potential-alaskan-ai-data-centers/), report, 2026-04-10. - The FY2027 NDAA provisions would require rigorous grid impact assessments before executing or renewing any Enhanced Use Lease for a data center. [Office of Sen. Dan Sullivan](https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-secures-56-provisions-historic-26-billion-for-alaska-in-fy-2027-defense-authorization), report, 2026-06. - The FY2027 NDAA would direct a strategy and roadmap to mitigate local community impacts during construction of private data centers on military installations. [Office of Sen. Dan Sullivan](https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-secures-56-provisions-historic-26-billion-for-alaska-in-fy-2027-defense-authorization), report, 2026-06. - According to Sullivan's office, the FY2027 defense bill authorizes about $2.6 billion for Alaska. [Office of Sen. Dan Sullivan](https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-secures-56-provisions-historic-26-billion-for-alaska-in-fy-2027-defense-authorization), report, 2026-06. - The Fairbanks North Star Borough is designated a 'Serious' PM2.5 nonattainment area under the 2006 standard. [U.S. EPA Green Book](https://www3.epa.gov/airquality/greenbook/anayo_ak.html), report. - GVEA's fuel and purchased power charge rose 7.8 cents per kilowatt hour to 20.7 cents per kilowatt hour effective June 1, 2026, an increase of 61 percent over the prior quarter. [Alaska's News Source (KTUU)](https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/06/01/gvea-announces-rate-increase-starting-june-1-members-see-higher-bills/), report, 2026-06-01. - A new LM6000 unit would cost about $120 million. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/gvea-board-to-weigh-heavy-purchase-decision-in-july-as-members-raise-concerns/article_c8b5ce9d-5c3a-46bf-b261-436ea4abe02b.html), report, 2026-07. - The average GVEA member's monthly bill rose about $45.74 under the June 1, 2026 fuel-charge change. [Alaska's News Source (KTUU)](https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/06/01/gvea-announces-rate-increase-starting-june-1-members-see-higher-bills/), report, 2026-06-01. - The fuel GVEA buys for its power plants rose from about $2.50 a gallon in late February to $5.10 a gallon, more than double. [KUAC](https://fm.kuac.org/energy-and-the-environment/2026-05-28/gvea-plans-extraordinarily-large-increase-in-co-op-fuel-charge), report, 2026-05-28. - GVEA has been running its diesel units harder because it is not getting energy from Southcentral, per CEO Travis Million. [KUAC](https://fm.kuac.org/energy-and-the-environment/2026-05-28/gvea-plans-extraordinarily-large-increase-in-co-op-fuel-charge), report, 2026-05-28. - GVEA has seen higher electricity load across residential and industrial members than historically, per CEO Travis Million. [KUAC](https://fm.kuac.org/energy-and-the-environment/2026-05-28/gvea-plans-extraordinarily-large-increase-in-co-op-fuel-charge), report, 2026-05-28. - GVEA's June 1, 2026 fuel-charge increase was the largest in the co-op's history. [Alaska's News Source (KTUU)](https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/06/01/gvea-announces-rate-increase-starting-june-1-members-see-higher-bills/), report, 2026-06-01. - News-Miner reports demand for the units has increased due to a surge in large data centers that require a guaranteed power supply. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/gvea-board-to-weigh-heavy-purchase-decision-in-july-as-members-raise-concerns/article_c8b5ce9d-5c3a-46bf-b261-436ea4abe02b.html), report, 2026-07. - In April 2026 the board approved $50,000 to reserve an order spot for the generator. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/gvea-board-to-weigh-heavy-purchase-decision-in-july-as-members-raise-concerns/article_c8b5ce9d-5c3a-46bf-b261-436ea4abe02b.html), report, 2026-07. - The board approved a $25.6 million overhaul of its 1970s-era GT1 diesel generators. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/gvea-board-to-weigh-heavy-purchase-decision-in-july-as-members-raise-concerns/article_c8b5ce9d-5c3a-46bf-b261-436ea4abe02b.html), report, 2026-07. - An LM6000 can generate between 45 and 58 megawatts of power on its own. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/gvea-board-to-weigh-heavy-purchase-decision-in-july-as-members-raise-concerns/article_c8b5ce9d-5c3a-46bf-b261-436ea4abe02b.html), report, 2026-07. - Paired with a steam turbine or battery storage the unit could produce between 76 and 152 megawatts. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/gvea-board-to-weigh-heavy-purchase-decision-in-july-as-members-raise-concerns/article_c8b5ce9d-5c3a-46bf-b261-436ea4abe02b.html), report, 2026-07. - Ordering and installing a new LM6000 could take at least three to five years. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/gvea-board-to-weigh-heavy-purchase-decision-in-july-as-members-raise-concerns/article_c8b5ce9d-5c3a-46bf-b261-436ea4abe02b.html), report, 2026-07. - GVEA's president is Travis Million. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/gvea-board-to-weigh-heavy-purchase-decision-in-july-as-members-raise-concerns/article_c8b5ce9d-5c3a-46bf-b261-436ea4abe02b.html), report, 2026-07. Slides and the deck PDF are linked from the canonical page.