Home / North America / United States of America / Eklutna Hydro Project

Eklutna Hydro Project

Hydro power plant in Alaska, United States of America. Approximate location 61.4752, -149.1501.

HydroAlaskaUnited States of America

Eklutna Hydro Project is a 44 MW hydro power plant in Alaska, United States of America. It is operated by Anchorage Municipal Light and Power. Based on reported annual generation of 191 GWh, it can supply roughly 55k homes. It ranks #3895 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1955, it is around 71 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 5.3% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

44Source-backed capacity
191GWh reported / yr
54,571homes powered
1955commissioned (~71 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0000077.

Data status

Known data

FacilityEklutna Hydro Project WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Alaska WRI
Coordinates61.4752, -149.1501 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity44 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerAnchorage Municipal Light and Power WRI
Commissioned1955 WRI
GWh reported / yr191 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#3895 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#315 of 1449 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers5.55× · 8 MW median · 1449 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent54,571 calculated from reported generation
Climate-0.3°C · HDD 6,650 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 24/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

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: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100001054901); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 44 MW, Eklutna Hydro Project is well above the median hydro plant in United States of America (8 MW). Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 90 GWh20132014: 83 GWh20142015: 92 GWh20152016: 77 GWh20162017: 119 GWh20172018: 168 GWh20182019: 191 GWh2019191 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Anchorage Municipal Light and Power.

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a subarctic (boreal) climate (Köppen Dfc) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 61.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

-0.3°Cannual mean temp
6,650heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
846 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -9 °CJF: -8 °CFM: -6 °CMA: -2 °CAM: 4 °CMJ: 9 °CJJ: 11 °CJA: 10 °CAS: 5 °CSO: -2 °CON: -7 °CND: -8 °CD11 °C

Heating degree-days here run 171% 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: 99/100 — 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
24/100environmental-severity index
20.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
144 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 #315 largest hydro power plant of 1449 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 1449 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 102,513 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 61.4752, -149.1501 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Eklutna Hydro Project?

Eklutna Hydro Project is a 44 MW source-record hydro power plant in Alaska, United States of America, commissioned in 1955.

How much electricity does Eklutna Hydro Project generate?

Eklutna Hydro Project generates about 191 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Eklutna Hydro Project power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 54,571 homes.

Who operates Eklutna Hydro Project?

Eklutna Hydro Project is operated by Anchorage Municipal Light and Power.

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.