9th largest plant in Alaska · 2805th nationally
Nikiski Combined Cycle is a natural gas power plant in Alaska with a nameplate capacity of 80.8 MW. It generates roughly 416.8k MWh per year — enough to power about 39,698 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 59% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 1040 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (80.8 MW nameplate × hours in the month). Filled bars are actual net generation reported to EIA Form 923. The gap between them is capacity factor made visible.
| Plant Name | Nikiski Combined Cycle |
|---|---|
| Operator | Homer Electric Assn Inc |
| City | Nikiski |
| County | Kenai Peninsula County |
| State | Alaska |
| ZIP | 99635 |
| Coordinates | 60.67654, -151.37771 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GT1 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 40.8 MW | Operating | 1986 |
| ST1 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 40.0 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| CO₂ | 216.8k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 1 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 606 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 1040 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.