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Posted by Wrangell Sentinel | Aug 21, 2026
The Southeast Alaska Power Agency started preliminary construction earlier this summer on a solar farm out near 6-Mile.
To satisfy federal investment tax credit requirements, the company was required to start work before July 4.
“By breaking ground and putting in the substation pad and the power line road and part of the remainder of the road, we were able to meet those requirements,” said Robert Siedman, chief executive officer for the Ketchikan-based regional power provider.
The solar panels will help diversify Wrangell’s energy portfolio, potentially cushioning residents against utility spikes that occur when the Tyee Lake hydroelectric plant is shut down for maintenance, as occurred earlier this summer.
SEAPA operates the Tyee Lake project for Wrangell and Petersburg and the Swan Lake hydropower plant for Ketchikan.
The federal tax credits could cover up to half the cost of the estimated $6 million Wrangell solar project.
The next major hurdle for the 44-acre site above the highway is a wetland delineation process, which will determine whether a creek running through the property falls under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ jurisdiction. The outcome will decide the access road design.
“We will either have to permit access across that creek or build in a culvert or a bridge or something of that nature,” Siedman said.
The wetland determination and necessary permitting are expected to take about a year, according to SEAPA project manager Mark Hilson. If all goes well, they will be able to get to work during the 2027 construction season.
Siedman said they hope to finish the project in 2028.
The project would start with a capacity of 1.5 megawatts of solar generating capacity and could be expanded to 5 megawatts. By comparison, each of the two hydropower units at Tyee Lake is capable of spinning 10 megawatts of power.
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