# Alaska's One Row on the Federal AI List

> Enstar is warning about rolling blackouts and fielding new data center interest in the same week.

Published 2026-07-30 by Alaska AI. 9 slides.
Canonical: https://alaskaaihq.com/archive/2026-07-30/

## What we verified

- The Department of Energy announced 278 projects selected in the first round of Genesis Mission awards. [U.S. Department of Energy](https://www.energy.gov/articles/secretary-energy-chris-wright-announces-first-genesis-mission-projects-selected-accelerate), primary document, 2026-07-22.
- Exactly one of the 278 award rows is an Alaska institution, a University of Alaska Fairbanks project led by Richard Wies and titled AURORA-AI, Alaska Utility Resilience and Optimization using Real-time AI. [U.S. Department of Energy](https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2026-07/GM-RFA-Awards-List.pdf), primary document, 2026-07-22.
- The Genesis Mission awards list was posted by the Department of Energy on July 22, 2026. [U.S. Department of Energy](https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2026-07/GM-RFA-Awards-List.pdf), primary document, 2026-07-22.
- The Genesis Mission projects involve 342 participating institutions, made up of 16 Department of Energy and NNSA National Laboratories, 142 universities, 157 companies, 13 nonprofit organizations and 14 other institutions. [U.S. Department of Energy](https://www.energy.gov/articles/secretary-energy-chris-wright-announces-first-genesis-mission-projects-selected-accelerate), primary document, 2026-07-22.
- The Department of Energy said the Genesis Mission funding call generated the largest response to a funding opportunity in its history. [U.S. Department of Energy](https://www.energy.gov/articles/secretary-energy-chris-wright-announces-first-genesis-mission-projects-selected-accelerate), primary document, 2026-07-22.
- Energy Secretary Chris Wright said America has no shortage of bold ideas or talented scientists and that the response to the Genesis Mission proves it. [U.S. Department of Energy](https://www.energy.gov/articles/secretary-energy-chris-wright-announces-first-genesis-mission-projects-selected-accelerate), primary document, 2026-07-22.
- The largest single project selected in the first Genesis Mission round is a three year 60 million dollar investment in nuclear energy. [U.S. Department of Energy](https://www.energy.gov/articles/secretary-energy-chris-wright-announces-first-genesis-mission-projects-selected-accelerate), primary document, 2026-07-22.
- The National Laboratory of the Rockies announced 12 Genesis Mission projects in a release whose headline names Alaska utility optimization. [National Laboratory of the Rockies via GlobeNewswire](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/07/22/3331669/0/en/nlr-awarded-12-genesis-mission-projects-ranging-from-semiconductors-to-alaska-utility-optimization.html), primary document, 2026-07-22.
- Richard Wies is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. [University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska Center for Energy and Power](https://www.uaf.edu/acep/about/our-team/richard-wies.php), primary document, 2026-07-30.
- Richard Wies leads research with the Alaska Center for Energy and Power as an electric power systems expert, working on renewable energy integration in remote islanded microgrids. [University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska Center for Energy and Power](https://www.uaf.edu/acep/about/our-team/richard-wies.php), primary document, 2026-07-30.
- The Department of Energy put the number of isolated microgrid systems in Alaska not connected to larger grids at approximately 200, in a 2017 program description. [U.S. Department of Energy](https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/articles/gmlc-1321-alaska-microgrid-partnership), primary document, 2017-09-14.
- No description of the AURORA-AI project had been published anywhere beyond its title on the award list as of July 30, 2026. [Search result, negative finding verified by the fact-checker](https://www.bing.com/search?q=%22AURORA-AI%22+%22Alaska+Utility+Resilience%22+Wies), report, 2026-07-30.
- Enstar president John Sims said a winter like last year would bring significant challenges and likely rolling blackouts. [Alaska Public Media](https://alaskapublic.org/news/economy/energy/2026-07-28/southcentral-alaska-gas-utility-says-bills-likely-to-rise-amid-supply-shortage), report, 2026-07-28.
- Matanuska Electric Association chief executive Tony Izzo said that for the first time in his career he cannot guarantee reliable power to his customers during periods of normal operation. [Anchorage Daily News](https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/anchorage/2026/07/29/alaska-mayors-warn-of-increased-utility-costs-as-southcentral-natural-gas-shortage-becomes-more-urgent/), report, 2026-07-29.
- Enstar is evaluating whether it is prudent to add new customers to its system, citing a proposed Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson housing expansion and rising interest in data center development. [Anchorage Daily News](https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/anchorage/2026/07/29/alaska-mayors-warn-of-increased-utility-costs-as-southcentral-natural-gas-shortage-becomes-more-urgent/), report, 2026-07-29.

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