List of power stations in Alaska
(Redirected from Power cost equalization)
Sources of Alaska utility-scale electricity generation in gigawatt-hours, full-year 2025:[1]
- Natural gas: 2,601 (40.3%)
- Hydroelectric: 1,850 (28.7%)
- Petroleum: 1,024 (15.9%)
- Coal: 790 (12.2%)
- Wind: 130 (2.02%)
- Biomass: 41 (0.64%)
- Solar: 13 (0.20%)
This is a list of electricity-generating power stations in the U.S. state of Alaska, sorted by type and name. In 2024, Alaska had a total summer capacity of 2.9 gigawatts through all of its power plants, and a net generation of 6,691 gigawatt-hours.[2] The electrical energy generation mix in 2025 was 40.3% natural gas, 28.7% hydroelectric, 15.9% petroleum, 12.2% coal, 2% wind, 0.6% biomass and 0.2% solar.[1] The nation's only coal plant constructed since 2015 began operations in February 2020 at the University of Fairbanks.[3]
A grid known as "the Railbelt" serves about two-thirds of the state's population; extending from Fairbanks through Anchorage and into the Kenai Peninsula. Many of Alaska's power stations are diesel generators which service isolated communities and their localized transmission and distribution networks. Alaska is second behind Hawaii in the consumption of petroleum for electricity generation. The Alaska Village Electric Cooperative serves 58 communities in rural Alaska. Many rural residential customers receive the Power Cost Equalization subsidy to bring high electric costs closer to what urban residents pay. The state has vast untapped renewable resources, including wind near its coastlines, hydropower in its high-precipitation mountain regions, biomass from its forest and agriculture products, and solar from its rooftops.[3]
Alaska electricity generation by type
Alaska power grid
Nuclear power stations
[edit]There were no utility-scale nuclear facilities in the state of Alaska in 2022. A proposed nuclear power station was the Galena Nuclear Power Plant.
Fossil-fuel power stations
[edit]Data reported by U.S. Energy Information Administration[4]
Coal (lignite)
[edit]| Plant name | Location | Coordinates | Capacity (MW)[A] | Technology | Year completed | Scheduled retirement | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atkinson Power Plant Addition UA Fairbanks | Fairbanks | 64°51′15″N 147°49′20″W / 64.8542°N 147.8221°W | 17 | Conventional steam coal | 2018-2020 | TBD | [5][6][7] |
| Aurora Energy LLC Chena Power Plant | Fairbanks | 64°50′52″N 147°44′06″W / 64.8477°N 147.7351°W | 25.7 | Conventional steam coal | 1952 (Unit; 1-4.7MW) 1952 (Unit 2-2.0MW) 1952 (Unit 3–1.3MW) 1975 (Unit 5-19MW) | TBD (Unit 1) TBD (Unit 2) 2009 (Unit 3) TBD (Unit 5) | [8] |
| Ben J. Atkinson Power Plant University of Alaska Fairbanks | Fairbanks | 64°51′15″N 147°49′20″W / 64.8542°N 147.8221°W | 9.1 | Conventional steam coal | 1964 (Unit 1–0.5MW) 1964 (Unit 2–0.5MW) 1981 (Unit 3–8.1MW) | 2020 (Unit 1) 2020 (Unit 2) TBD (Unit 3) | [9][10] |
| Central Heat & Power Plant Eielson Air Force Base | Fairbanks North Star | 64°40′17″N 147°04′34″W / 64.6714°N 147.0760°W | 20 | Conventional steam coal | 1952 (Unit 1–0.5MW) 1952 (Unit 2–0.5MW) 1955 (Unit 3–5.0MW) 1969 (Unit 4–5.0MW) 1987 (Unit 5–9.0MW) | TBD (Unit 1) TBD (Unit 2) TBD (Unit 3) TBD (Unit 4) TBD (Unit 5) | [11] |
| Clear Air Force Station Power Plant | Yukon-Koyukuk | 64°17′26″N 149°11′13″W / 64.29056°N 149.18694°W | 22.5 | Conventional steam coal | 1960 (Unit 1–7.5MW) 1960 (Unit 2–7.5MW) 1960 (Unit 3–7.5MW) | 2016 | [12][13] |
| Healy Power Plant | Healy | 63°51′15″N 148°57′00″W / 63.8542°N 148.9500°W | 75 | Conventional steam coal | 1967 (Unit 1-25MW) 1998 (Unit 2-50MW) | TBD (Unit 1) TBD (Unit 2) | [14] |
| (Fort Wainwright) Power Plant | Fairbanks | 64°49′32″N 147°38′55″W / 64.8256°N 147.6486°W | 22.1 | Conventional steam coal | 1945 (Unit 1–3.5MW) 1955 (Unit 2–6.2MW) 1955 (Unit 3–6.2MW) 1955 (Unit 4–6.2MW) 1989 (Unit 5–6.2MW) | TBD (Unit 1) IDLE (Unit 2) TBD (Unit 3) TBD (Unit 4) TBD (Unit 5) | [15] |
A Multi-fuel plant, listed is "total net summer capacity" by source.
Petroleum
[edit]Natural gas
[edit]| Plant name | Location | Coordinates | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Year completed | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agrium Kenai Nitrogen Operations | Kenai | 60°40′24″N 151°22′42″W / 60.6732°N 151.3784°W | 12.5 | Simple cycle (x5) | 1977 | |
| Anchorage 1 | Anchorage | 61°13′20″N 149°51′58″W / 61.2221°N 149.8661°W | 75.9 | Simple cycle (x2) | 1972/2007 | |
| Barrow | Utqiagvik | 71°17′31″N 156°46′43″W / 71.2920°N 156.7786°W | 20.3 | Simple cycle (x5), reciprocating engine (x2) | 1977-2001 (17.3MW) 1994 (3.0MW) | |
| Beluga | Beluga | 61°11′10″N 151°02′08″W / 61.1861°N 151.0356°W | 312.4 | Simple cycle (x6) | 1968-1978 | |
| Bernice Lake | Nikiski | 60°41′37″N 151°23′15″W / 60.6935°N 151.3874°W | 76.7 | Simple cycle (x3) | 1971-1981 | |
| Eklutna Generation Station | Chugiak, Anchorage | 61°27′28″N 149°21′05″W / 61.4578°N 149.3514°W | 171 | Reciprocating engine (x10) | 2015 | |
| George M Sullivan Generation Plant 2 | Anchorage | 61°13′47″N 149°43′00″W / 61.2297°N 149.7167°W | 346.9 | 3x1 Combined cycle, simple cycle | 1979/2017 (254.3MW) 1984 (92.6MW) | |
| International | Anchorage | 61°10′08″N 149°54′40″W / 61.1690°N 149.9110°W | 30 | Simple cycle (x2) | 1964-1965 | |
| Nikiski Co-Generation | Nikiski | 60°40′35″N 151°22′40″W / 60.6765°N 151.3777°W | 80.8 | 1x1 combined cycle | 1986/2013 | |
| NSB Nuiqsut Utility | Nuiqsut | 70°13′14″N 150°59′37″W / 70.2206°N 150.9935°W | 2.2 | Reciprocating engine (x3) | 2008/2013 | |
| Soldotna | Soldotna | 60°29′58″N 150°59′50″W / 60.4994°N 150.9972°W | 50 | Simple cycle | 2014 | |
| Southcentral Power Project | Anchorage | 61°10′03″N 149°54′19″W / 61.1674°N 149.9053°W | 203.9 | 3x1 combined cycle | 2013 | |
| Tesoro Kenai Cogeneration Plant | Kenai | 60°40′37″N 151°22′53″W / 60.6770°N 151.3815°W | 8.6 | Simple cycle (x2) | 1988 | |
| TNSG North Plant | Deadhorse | 70°14′07″N 148°23′01″W / 70.2353°N 148.3836°W | 25.4 | Simple cycle (x4) | 2008-2014 | |
| TNSG South Plant | Deadhorse | 70°12′00″N 148°28′00″W / 70.2000°N 148.4667°W | 8.1 | Reciprocating engine (x6) | 1992-2010 |
Renewable power stations
[edit]Data reported by U.S. Energy Information Administration[4]
Biomass
[edit]| Plant name | Location | Coordinates | Capacity (MW) | Fuel type | Technology | Year completed | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JBER Landfill Gas Power Plant | Anchorage | 61°17′10″N 149°36′36″W / 61.2860°N 149.6100°W | 11.5 | Landfill gas | Reciprocating engine (x5) | 2012 |
Geothermal
[edit]| Plant name | Location | Coordinates | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Year completed | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chena Geothermal Plant | Fairbanks North Star | 65°03′11″N 146°03′20″W / 65.05306°N 146.05556°W | 0.4 | ORC generator (x2) | 2006 | [16][17] |
Hydroelectric
[edit]A The "Battle Creek Project" increased the Bradley Lake hydro facility's production by about 10 percent.[20]
Solar
[edit]| Plant name | Location | Coordinates | Capacity (MW) | Year completed | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GVEA Solar Farm | Fairbanks | 0.65 | 2018 | [21] | |
| Houston Solar Farm | Matanuska-Susitna | 61°35′14″N 149°47′21″E / 61.5871°N 149.7892°E | 8.5 | 2023 | [22] |
| Willow Solar Farm | Matanuska-Susitna | 1.2 | 2020 | [23] | |
Wind
[edit]Storage power stations
[edit]Data reported by U.S. Energy Information Administration[4]
Battery
[edit]| Plant name | Location | Coordinates | Discharge capacity (MW) | Technology | Year completed | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Energy Storage System | Fairbanks North Star | 64°49′00″N 147°43′30″W / 64.8167°N 147.7250°W | 40 | Batteries | 2003 | |
| ESS Battery Microgrid | Kodiak Island | 57°47′57″N 152°24′15″W / 57.7992°N 152.4042°W | 3.0 | Batteries | 2012 | |
| Eyak Service Center BESS | Valdez Cordova | 60°32′26″N 145°44′27″W / 60.5405°N 145.7408°W | 1.0 | Batteries | 2019 | |
| Kotzebue Hybrid | Kotzebue | 66°50′16″N 162°33′25″W / 66.8378°N 162.5569°W | 1.2 | Batteries | 2015 | |
| Soldotna | 93 | Batteries | 2022 |
Flywheel
[edit]| Plant name | Location | Coordinates | Discharge capacity (MW) | Technology | Year completed | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flywheel Energy Storage System Microgrid | Kodiak Island | 57°46′48″N 152°26′38″W / 57.7801°N 152.4438°W | 2.0 | Flywheels | 2015 |
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Electricity Data Browser, Net generation for all sectors, Alaska, Fuel Type-Check all, Annual, 2001–25". www.eia.gov. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Alaska Electricity Profile". U.S. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
- 1 2 "Alaska Electricity Profile Analysis". U.S. EIA. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- 1 2 3 Energy Information Administration (September 15, 2020). "Form EIA-860 detailed data with previous form data (EIA-860A/860B)". eia.gov. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020.
- ↑ "Combined heat and power plant". University of Alaska. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- ↑ "Atkinson Power Plant". www.kuac.org. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- ↑ "Here's the nation's only new coal plant. Is it the last?". Energy & Environmental News. April 15, 2019.
- ↑ "Chena Power Plant". Global Energy Monitor. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- ↑ "Ben Atkinson Building". University of Alaska. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- ↑ "UA Fairbanks Power Plant". Global Energy Monitor. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- ↑ "Eilson AFB Central Heat & Power Plant". Global Energy Monitor. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- ↑ "Out with the old, Clear AFS closes coal plant". Colorado Springs Military Newspaper Group. October 18, 2016.
- ↑ "Clear Air Force Stations: Air Force Reviewed Costs and Benefits of Several Options before Deciding to Close the Power Plant" (PDF). Government Accountability Office: Report GAO-14-550. May 31, 2014.
- ↑ "Healy Power Plant". Global Energy Monitor. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- ↑ "Fort Wainwright Power Plant". Global Energy Monitor. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- ↑ "400kW Geothermal Power Plant at Chena Hot Springs, Alaska" (PDF). Chena Power, LLC. February 4, 2007.
- ↑ Jennifer Bogo (February 1, 2008). "Geothermal Power in Alaska Holds Hidden Model for Clean Energy". Popular Mechanics.
- ↑ "Bradley Lake Hydroelectric Project". Alaska Energy Authority. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
- ↑ Suzanna Caldwell (September 28, 2016). "After almost 20 years, Iliamna hydro project finally hits its stride". Anchorage Daily News.
- ↑ "Expansion of Bradley Lake hydro facility gets underway". Alaska Public Radio. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
- ↑ Elwood Bremmer (February 19, 2020). "The world's most unlikely solar farms". Alaska Daily News.
- ↑ Fanelli, Michael (August 31, 2023). "Mat-Su Borough welcomes Alaska's biggest solar farm". Alaska Public Media. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ↑ Jody Ellis (November 18, 2019). "Alaska's largest solar farm opens in Willow". British Broadcasting Company.
- ↑ "The U.S. Wind Turbine Database". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ↑ "Systems Performance Analyses of Alaska Wind-Diesel Projects" (PDF). U.S. Department of Energy. April 30, 2009.
Report DOE/GO-102009-2710
- ↑ "Turbines on the Tundra". New York Times. February 18, 2009.
