MEA

What MEA does

Matanuska Electric Association, Inc. (MEA) is a member-owned electric cooperative founded in 1941, serving 57,000+ residential and commercial members across Southcentral Alaska through an exclusive service territory covering the Mat-Su Valley and Eagle River communities. It is Alaska's oldest existing and second-largest electric cooperative, operating under the regulatory oversight of the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA) with no competing distribution infrastructure in its franchise area. The cooperative manages 4,800+ miles of power lines and employs 101-250 staff across its Palmer headquarters and district offices in Wasilla and Eagle River.

MEA's core product is regulated electric power distribution delivered through substations, transmission lines, and an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system used for theft detection and meter management. Member-facing services are delivered through the SmartHub online and mobile platform, which handles bill payment, account management, and energy usage monitoring. Supplementary programs include Net Metering for member-owned renewables, a Level 2 EV Charging Pilot Program operated with ChargePoint hardware, an annual $35,000 scholarship program, and the Operation RoundUp charitable giving initiative that has distributed over $2.9 million to local nonprofits since 2011. The cooperative also operates Capital Credits, returning excess margins to members based on patronage.

MEA generates revenue primarily through electricity sales to its member-owners via published base rates and the Cost of Power Adjustment (COPA), which is reviewed quarterly by the RCA and recovers fuel and purchased power costs. New member onboarding includes a $5 refundable membership fee, $17 nonrefundable records fee, and a security deposit. As a regulated cooperative with exclusive territory rights, MEA does not compete on price and excess revenues are returned to members as capital credits rather than retained. The 2026 capital plan encompasses 13+ major infrastructure projects, and the cooperative is currently evaluating a potential data center load opportunity through exploratory discussions with Terra Energy Center.

Name

MEA

Legal name

Matanuska Electric Association, Inc.

Website

https://mea.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Matanuska Electric Association (MEA) is a member-owned electric cooperative founded in 1941, serving 57,000+ residential and commercial members across Southcentral Alaska through 4,800+ miles of power lines and the SmartHub digital member platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Utility Distribution

NAICS

Electric Power Distribution (221122), Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112)

akta.pro primary industry

Medium/Low-Voltage Power Distribution (MCCs, Panels, UPS, Grounding) (EUAEAFAB)

Keywords

• Electric power distribution
• Electric cooperative utility
• Member-owned utility
• Electricity distribution services
• Energy distribution infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Palmer

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Electric Distribution Service: MEA generates revenue by selling electricity to its 57,000+ member-owners across Southcentral Alaska. Revenue is derived from base rates and the Cost of Power Adjustment (COPA), which recovers fuel and purchased power costs. Rates are reviewed quarterly and adjusted based on actual costs, with regulatory oversight from the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA). As a cooperative, excess revenues are typically returned to members as capital credits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MEA is a member-owned electric cooperative that distributes electricity to 57,000+ member-owners across Southcentral Alaska through more than 4,800 miles of power lines. It operates substations, transmission infrastructure, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), and the SmartHub digital platform, and offers related programs such as net metering, EV charging, budget billing, and vegetation management. Rates are reviewed quarterly by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA).

Product overview

Matanuska Electric Association (MEA) is a member-owned electric cooperative providing power distribution services across Southcentral Alaska. The company's core product is electricity delivery through its power grid infrastructure. MEA operates SmartHub as its primary digital platform for member account management, enabling bill payment, usage tracking, and service requests. The cooperative offers supplementary programs including Operation RoundUp charitable giving, a Level 2 EV Charging Pilot Program (partnered with ChargePoint), Net Metering for renewable energy members, a Scholarship Program, Vegetation Management services, Clean Energy initiatives, and Capital Credits member benefits. The product portfolio is organized as a utility service platform supplemented by member-facing programs and community initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Operation RoundUP: A member-supported charitable program where members' bills are rounded up to the nearest dollar each month to support local community grants to organizations.
• MEA Charitable Foundation
• Level 2 EV Charging Pilot Program

Products and services

• Electric Power Distribution

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $2.9 million donated to local nonprofits since 2011 through Operation RoundUp
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hilcorp AlaskacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 January 2026MEA's Board approved extension of natural gas supply agreement with Hilcorp Alaska securing firm Cook Inlet natural gas supply through March 2029. The extension includes a new Firm Storage Service (FSS) Agreement allowing MEA to store natural gas during lower-demand periods and draw reserves during peak winter months. Hilcorp is deploying additional capital into Cook Inlet gas fields to accelerate production and bring additional supplies to market.
• Alaska Survey ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMEA partnered with Alaska Survey Research to conduct annual member surveys via text-to-web methodology, improving member convenience compared to previous phone-based surveys.
• Terra Energy CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMEA has engaged in early-stage discussions with Terra Energy regarding the proposed Terra Energy Center project and potential data center in Mat-Su Borough. No agreements or commitments have been made; conversations remain exploratory to evaluate future energy supply options.
• Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA)coreOthersMEA is state-regulated through the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA), which reviews and approves rate changes, contracts, and major operational decisions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Chugach Electric Association: Alaska's largest electric cooperative, headquartered in Anchorage, serving members across Southcentral Alaska under RCA oversight. It directly competes with MEA in overlapping parts of the Anchorage/Mat-Su region and shares the same member-owned distribution cooperative model.
• Homer Electric Association: Member-owned electric cooperative serving the Kenai Peninsula in Southcentral Alaska under RCA regulation. Operates the same member-owned distribution utility model as MEA, with similar regulatory, geographic, and customer-mix characteristics.
• Golden Valley Electric Association: Alaska electric cooperative headquartered in Fairbanks serving Interior Alaska. Operates an analogous member-owned electric distribution model under RCA regulation with a comparable residential/commercial member mix.
• Alaska Village Electric Cooperative: Rural Alaska electric cooperative serving dozens of remote communities with distributed generation. Same cooperative structure and RCA regulatory framework as MEA, with comparable member-owned electricity distribution operations.
• Kodiak Electric Association: Member-owned electric cooperative serving Kodiak Island, Alaska. Operates under the same RCA regulatory framework as MEA with an analogous cooperative distribution model serving residential and commercial members.
• Cordova Electric Cooperative: Small Alaska electric cooperative serving Cordova and surrounding areas. Operates under the same RCA regulatory and cooperative governance model as MEA, providing electric distribution to a remote Alaska community.
• Inside Passage Electric Cooperative: Alaska electric cooperative serving communities in Southeast Alaska including Haines and Skagway. Operates the same member-owned utility distribution model under RCA regulation as MEA.

Broad incumbents

• CoServ: Large Texas-based electric cooperative (formerly Denton County EC) serving north Texas with electric distribution plus gas. Comparable member-owned distribution cooperative model but vastly larger scale and different geographic/regulatory environment than MEA.
• Pedernales Electric Cooperative: Largest electric distribution cooperative in the United States by membership, serving central Texas. Operates the same member-owned regulated utility model as MEA but at far greater scale with a different state regulatory regime.
• Flathead Electric Cooperative: Montana-based member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving the Flathead Valley region. Operates an analogous cooperative utility distribution model to MEA but under Montana rather than Alaska regulation and at smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/matanuska.electric
• Xx.com/meacoop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/matanuska-electric-association-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MEA