Mat-Su’s Port MacKenzie gains recognition in two new reports

Mat-Su’s Port MacKenzie has gotten recognition recently in two influential publications.

One was an analysis of logistics and transportation related to mining projects compiled by PND Engineers, a well-known Alaska engineering and consulting firm, and published by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, the state’s development finance corporation. The second was in a review by the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies, which focuses on defense issues related the Arctic.

The PND study analyzed the capabilities of ports in Southcentral Alaska to serve the increasing minerals development activity in the state. While the study considered transportation issues related to several potential mines in Southcentral and Interior Alaska most of the report dealt with how Port MacKenzie could support development of mines now planned in the Ambler Mining District of Northwest Alaska, which include mines that could produce copper and critical minerals like cobalt.

“Alaska is home to some of the world’s most significant mineral resource, including zinc, gold, silver and critical minerals essential for more manufacturing, energy technologies and national security. As demand for these resources continues to grow, the study emphasizes the importance of aligning infrastructure capacity with long-term production potential,” authors of the PND report said.

“Based on these findings, this report concludes that advancing a scalable (potential to grow) concept at Port MacKenzie represents the most durable path for supporting Alaska’s mineral export needs,” the report said. PND provided a detailed review of how infrastructure improvements not just at Port MacKenzie but also in the Alaska Interior could aid transportation of ore from mines in the Ambler district.

The Ted Stevens Center paper focused on how Alaska fits into the strategic U.S. national security environment as outlined in executive orders issued by President Donald Trump, and highlighted the need for advancing Arctic resource projects and improving the associated infrastructure. “Among the most critical investments to achieve these objectives is the completion of the Port MacKenzie rail extension and expansion of the port itself,” said the Ted Stevens Center paper, which was authored by Ria Hanson, an analyst at the center. Hanson is also a former Alaska Department of Revenue economist.

Ted Stevens Center paper is important because it has been circulated within the military and national defense community, which have been showing increasing interest in Port MacKenzie as a defense logistics asset. The timing of the publication is also significant because federal agencies are considering applications for major Alaska infrastructure grants including one to complete the rail extension to Port MacKenzie from the Alaska Railroad mainline tracks near Houston on the Parks Highway.

The paper notes Port MacKenzie’s ability to handle deep-draft vessels along with barges, its connection to a paved highway and the 9,000 acres of adjacent upland available for industrial and commercial development. “Port MacKenzie also has a partially completed rail extension connecting the port to the Alaska Railroad and the heavily mineralized areas of Interior Alaska. The estimated cost to complete the rail line is $300 million in addition to the $184 million (over $255 million in 2025 dollars) already contributed by the state of Alaska,” the paper said.

National defense priorities are important in the need to complete the rail extension, which will aid mineral development. “The Department of Defense uses approximately 750,000 tons of minerals annually. Many of the mineral deposits (known) along the ‘railbelt’ of Alaska are particularly important to the U.S. military. Lead is a major component of ammunition; copper is used to make military vehicles including aircraft and ships; copper combined with lead and nickel is used to make body armor, and molybdenum is also used in armored vehicles, missiles and aircraft. Silver is used in the construction of C-17s and Apache helicopters, as well as many other defense tools,” the paper said.

Antimony is a critical mineral of particular importance to the military. “There are currently no antimony mines in the U.S. and 60 percent of the antimony used in the U.S. comes from China,” the paper said. There is exploration underway at an antimony deposit that has been discovered in the western part of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and deposits also known in the Fairbanks area of the Interior. Development of these would be enhanced by expansion of Port MacKenzie and the rail link.

For the military, antimony is used in bullet manufacturing, night vision goggles, laser sighting and nuclear weapons, as well as communications equipment, the Ted Stevens Center paper said. “The completion of the Port MacKenzie rail extension will contribute to improving cost ratios of new mines, increasing development potential and capacity for export,” the paper said.

In its report the PND study touched on the other prospects in Southcentral Alaska:

“In addition to the Ambler Mining District, multiple mining projects are advancing in the West Susitna region within approximately 100 miles of Port MacKenzie, including projects led by Nova Minerals and U.S. Gold. These projects, along with potential future development, are located within the Yentna Mining District, a highly mineralized area with a long history of mining activity,” PND said. “In light of the findings of this assessment, the proximity and cumulative potential of these operations further support focusing near-term investment and development efforts at Port MacKenzie as the most effective location to advance scalable, shared mineral export infrastructure.”

The PND study is on the AIDEA website and is titled, “Alaska Mineral Production, Transportation and Port Capacity Study.” A summary page is also on the website. The Ted Stevens Center paper is titled, “Port Mackenzie: Unleashing Alaska’s extraordinary resource potential and increasing American mineral production. It can be found on the Ted Stevens Center website.