Skagway

Oil power plant in Alaska, United States of America. Approximate location 59.4545, -135.3131.

OilAlaskaUnited States of America

Skagway is a 4 MW oil power plant in Alaska, United States of America. It is operated by Alaska Power and Telephone Co. Based on reported annual generation of 3 GWh, it can supply roughly 742 homes. It ranks #7455 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1989, it is around 37 years old — long-established. 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).

4Source-backed capacity
3GWh reported / yr
742homes powered
1989commissioned (~37 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0000066.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySkagway WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Alaska WRI
Coordinates59.4545, -135.3131 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity4 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerAlaska Power and Telephone Co WRI
Commissioned1989 WRI
GWh reported / yr3 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions1,950 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#7455 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#586 of 902 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.61× · 7 MW median · 902 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent742 calculated from reported generation
Climate0.2°C · HDD 6,494 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 21/100 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 4 MW, Skagway is below 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.

Reported generation trend

2013: 3 GWh20132014: 3 GWh20142015: 2 GWh20152016: 3 GWh20162017: 3 GWh20172018: 2 GWh20182019: 3 GWh20193 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Alaska Power and Telephone Co. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a Mediterranean subarctic climate (Köppen Dsc) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 59.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

0.2°Cannual mean temp
6,494heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
953 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -10 °CJF: -8 °CFM: -6 °CMA: -1 °CAM: 4 °CMJ: 8 °CJJ: 10 °CJA: 10 °CAS: 6 °CSO: 1 °CON: -5 °CND: -7 °CD10 °C

Heating degree-days here run 164% 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
21/100environmental-severity index
20.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
152 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 #586 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 59.4545, -135.3131 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Skagway?

Skagway is a 4 MW source-record oil power plant in Alaska, United States of America, commissioned in 1989.

How much electricity does Skagway generate?

Skagway generates about 3 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Skagway power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 742 homes.

Who operates Skagway?

Skagway is operated by Alaska Power and Telephone Co.

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