University of Alaska Fairbanks
Coal power plant · Fairbanks North Star County, Alaska
Nameplate capacity
40 MW
Rank in Alaska
#19
of 150 plants
In service since
1964
January 1964
Details
- Primary fuel
- Coal
- Technology
- Conventional Steam Coal
- Operator
- University of Alaska
- County
- Fairbanks North Star County
- Generating units
- 5
- Share of state capacity
- 1.27%
- Rank among coal plants in Alaska
- #2 of 5
- EIA plant code
- 50711
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN5 | Conventional Steam Coal | 17 MW | 17 MW | 2020 | Operating |
| GEN3 | Conventional Steam Coal | 10 MW | 8.1 MW | 1981 | Out of service and NOT expected to return to service in next calendar year |
| GEN4 | Petroleum Liquids | 9.6 MW | 9.6 MW | 2000 | Standby/Backup: available for service but not normally used |
| GEN1 | Conventional Steam Coal | 1.5 MW | 0.5 MW | 1964 | Out of service and NOT expected to return to service in next calendar year |
| GEN2 | Conventional Steam Coal | 1.5 MW | 0.5 MW | 1964 | Out of service and NOT expected to return to service in next calendar year |
Nameplate is the maximum rated output; summer capacity is what the unit can reliably deliver on a hot day, which is typically lower.
Similarly sized plants in Alaska
| Battery Energy Storage System | Battery storage | 40 MW |
| International Battery Substation (IBSS) | Battery storage | 40 MW |
| Auke Bay | Other | 36 MW |
| Eielson AFB Central Heat & Power Plant | Coal | 36 MW |
About this data
From EIA’s inventory of operable generators, May 2026 release. Capacity is nameplate — the maximum rated output of the equipment, not what the plant actually generates over a year, which depends on how often it runs. A 40 MW solar plant and a 40 MW nuclear plant have the same entry here and produce very different amounts of electricity.
“In service since” is the earliest in-service date among the units still listed, so a site rebuilt around newer equipment can read as younger than the site itself. All Alaska power plants · What Alaska actually generates