Energy Department to announce $150 million for Alaska power lines

The U.S. Energy Department will announce $150 million for new Alaska power lines as Vice President JD Vance campaigns for Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, The Korea Times reported, citing Reuters.

The announcement links federal energy spending with a closely watched Senate race in Alaska, where Sullivan faces Democrat Mary Peltola. The Korea Times reported that the race is important to Democratic efforts to win control of the U.S. Senate.

The funding would support construction of 223 miles of electrical transmission lines from the Beluga power station on Alaska’s southern coast to Healy in the interior, according to The Korea Times, which cited Reuters.

The corridor includes major ports and nearly three-quarters of Alaska’s population of about 735,000, The Korea Times reported. The planned line is intended to strengthen power connections across a region central to the state’s economy and population.

An administration official put the total cost of the project at $400 million, according to The Korea Times. The Energy Department funding would cover part of that cost through federal support.

Vance’s visit comes as Sullivan campaigns against Peltola, a Democrat and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives. A New York Times poll that concluded Oct. 1 showed Peltola leading Sullivan by 7 percentage points, The Korea Times reported.

The report also said President Donald Trump recently announced plans for South Korea to invest about $200 billion in U.S. projects, including an Alaska LNG pipeline. Seoul said the pipeline would need commercial and legal conditions, according to The Korea Times.

The funding announcement adds an energy infrastructure issue to a Senate contest already shaped by national politics, voter concerns over the Iran war and high gasoline prices, The Korea Times reported.