2nd largest plant in Alaska · 996th nationally
Beluga is a natural gas power plant in Alaska with a nameplate capacity of 312 MW. It generates roughly 525 MWh per year — enough to power about 50 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 0% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 24120 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Beluga |
|---|---|
| Operator | Chugach Electric Assn Inc |
| City | Beluga |
| County | Kenai Peninsula County |
| State | Alaska |
| ZIP | 99682 |
| Coordinates | 61.18610, -151.03560 |
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 76.5 MW | Out of Service | 1976 |
| 7 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 76.5 MW | Standby | 1978 |
| 5 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 68.3 MW | Standby | 1975 |
| 8 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 62.0 MW | Retired | 1982 |
| 3 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 59.1 MW | Standby | 1972 |
| 1 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 16.0 MW | Standby | 1968 |
| 2 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 16.0 MW | Out of Service | 1968 |
| CO₂ | 6.3k metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 17 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 24120 lb/MWh |
Annual totals and CO₂ rate reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. Reference averages are approximate U.S.-wide figures from the same dataset.
Natural gas plants are the workhorse of the modern grid. Combined-cycle units achieve very high efficiency and can ramp up and down quickly to balance variable renewables. They emit roughly half the CO₂ per MWh of coal and far less of other pollutants, but they still release upstream methane during fuel extraction.