Dutch Harbor

Oil power plant in Alaska, United States of America. Approximate location 53.8925, -166.5382.

OilAlaskaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

Dutch Harbor is a 22 MW oil power plant in Alaska, United States of America. It is operated by City of Unalaska - (AK). Based on reported annual generation of 53 GWh, it can supply roughly 15k homes. It ranks #4624 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2009, it is around 17 years old — relatively modern. Its modelled annual emissions are 14,185 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 3.3k cars driven for a year. In context, oil supplies about 0.7% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

22Source-backed capacity
53GWh reported / yr
15,142homes powered
14,185t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2009commissioned (~17 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0007502.

Data status

Known data

FacilityDutch Harbor WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Alaska WRI
Coordinates53.8925, -166.5382 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity22 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCity of Unalaska - (AK) WRI
Commissioned2009 WRI
GWh reported / yr53 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions14,185 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#4624 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#199 of 902 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.04× · 7 MW median · 902 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent15,142 calculated from reported generation
Climate3.4°C · HDD 5,316 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 22/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 22 MW, Dutch Harbor is well above the median oil plant in United States of America (7 MW). Oil-fired plants burn heavy fuel oil or diesel, usually as peaking or backup capacity on islands and grids without gas pipelines; high fuel cost keeps their utilisation low.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

~14,185 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

3.3kpassenger cars driven for a year
1.9khomes' yearly energy use
236ktree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Reported generation trend

2013: 45 GWh20132014: 47 GWh20142015: 39 GWh20152016: 47 GWh20162017: 58 GWh20172018: 54 GWh20182019: 53 GWh201958 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by City of Unalaska - (AK).

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a polar tundra climate (Köppen ET) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 53.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

3.4°Cannual mean temp
5,316heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
261 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -1 °CJF: -1 °CFM: -1 °CMA: 1 °CAM: 3 °CMJ: 7 °CJJ: 10 °CJA: 10 °CAS: 8 °CSO: 4 °CON: 1 °CND: 0 °CD10 °C

Heating degree-days here run 116% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 96/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
22/100environmental-severity index
11.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
21 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #199 largest oil power plant of 902 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 902 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 40,022 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 53.8925, -166.5382 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Dutch Harbor?

Dutch Harbor is a 22 MW source-record oil power plant in Alaska, United States of America, commissioned in 2009.

How much electricity does Dutch Harbor generate?

Dutch Harbor generates about 53 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Dutch Harbor power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 15,142 homes.

Who operates Dutch Harbor?

Dutch Harbor is operated by City of Unalaska - (AK).

How much CO₂ does Dutch Harbor emit?

Dutch Harbor has modelled emissions of about 14,185 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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