Home / North America / United States of America / Nikiski Combined Cycle

Nikiski Combined Cycle

Gas power plant in Alaska, United States of America. Approximate location 60.6765, -151.3777.

GasAlaskaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

Nikiski Combined Cycle is a 81 MW gas power plant in Alaska, United States of America. It is operated by Homer Electric Assn Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 240 GWh, it can supply roughly 68k homes. It ranks #3093 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1999, it is around 27 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 83,866 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 20k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 40.0% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

81Source-backed capacity
240GWh reported / yr
68,428homes powered
83,866t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1999commissioned (~27 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0055966.

Data status

Known data

FacilityNikiski Combined Cycle WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Alaska WRI
Coordinates60.6765, -151.3777 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity81 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerHomer Electric Assn Inc WRI
Commissioned1999 WRI
GWh reported / yr240 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions83,866 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#3093 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1225 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.67× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent68,428 calculated from reported generation
Climate1.8°C · HDD 5,884 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 25/100 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: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000402528); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 81 MW, Nikiski Combined Cycle is below the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

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

~83,866 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

20kpassenger cars driven for a year
11khomes' yearly energy use
1.4 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 263 GWh20132014: 371 GWh20142015: 395 GWh20152016: 399 GWh20162017: 453 GWh20172018: 405 GWh20182019: 240 GWh2019453 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Homer Electric Assn Inc.

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a Mediterranean subarctic climate (Köppen Dsc) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 60.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

1.8°Cannual mean temp
5,884heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
29 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -10 °CJF: -8 °CFM: -4 °CMA: 2 °CAM: 7 °CMJ: 11 °CJJ: 14 °CJA: 13 °CAS: 9 °CSO: 2 °CON: -5 °CND: -9 °CD14 °C

Heating degree-days here run 139% 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: 98/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

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 thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
25/100environmental-severity index
23.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
67 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 #1225 largest gas power plant of 2165 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 2165 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 789,950 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 60.6765, -151.3777 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Nikiski Combined Cycle?

Nikiski Combined Cycle is a 81 MW source-record gas power plant in Alaska, United States of America, commissioned in 1999.

How much electricity does Nikiski Combined Cycle generate?

Nikiski Combined Cycle generates about 240 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Nikiski Combined Cycle power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 68,428 homes.

Who operates Nikiski Combined Cycle?

Nikiski Combined Cycle is operated by Homer Electric Assn Inc.

How much CO₂ does Nikiski Combined Cycle emit?

Nikiski Combined Cycle has modelled emissions of about 83,866 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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