The Alaska Interconnection (ASCC) is an AC

power transmission Power transmission is the movement of energy from its place of generation to a location where it is applied to perform useful Mechanical work, work. Power (physics), Power is defined formally as units of energy per unit time. In SI units: :\text ...

grid in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

that serves Central and

Southeast Alaska Southeast Alaska, often abbreviated to southeast or southeastern, and sometimes called the Alaska(n) panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, bordered to the east and north by the northern half of the Canadian provi ...

. While the Alaska Interconnection is often referred to as one interconnected grid, its two parts are not connected to each other through interconnectors, nor are the two grids connected to any other interconnection, making the grids in Alaska isolated circuits. Both grids, though, are managed by the Alaska Systems Coordinating Council (ASCC) as if they were one entity like the other interconnections in North America. ASCC was formed in 1983 and is an affiliate North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) member.

Production

The Alaska Interconnection is the smallest individual power transmission grid in North America compared to the three other major interconnections – the

Western Interconnection The Western Interconnection is a wide area synchronous grid and one of the two major alternating current, alternating current (AC) power grids in the North American power transmission grid. The other major wide area synchronous grid is the East ...

, the

Eastern Interconnection The Eastern Interconnection is one of the two major alternating current, alternating-current (AC) electrical grids in the North American power transmission grid. The other major wide area synchronous grid, interconnection is the Western Inter ...

, and the

Texas Interconnection The Texas Interconnection is an alternating current (AC) power grid – a wide area synchronous grid – that covers most of the state of Texas. The grid is managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). The Texas In ...

– both in physical area and electricity generated. In 2015, the Alaska interconnection generated 2,601

gigawatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named in honor ...

hours of electricity, with natural gas accounting for 1,219 GWh, while the US State of

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

alone – part of the

– generated 47,385 GWh. While both parts of the Alaska Interconnection have no connection to remaining interconnections of North America, all generating units connected to both of its grids generate at a synchronous speed of 60 Hz, the frequency common to North America. Electricity is also delivered to homes and small businesses in the same manner as in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and the contiguous

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

with a split-phase 120/240 volt service.

Isolation from other power grids

In 2014, an interconnector to the Western Interconnection of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

was proposed to the Alaska Energy Authority in order to bring cleaner, cheaper power to Alaska, but as of 2016, no further work on the project had been completed due to economic feasibility.

Impact to cost

Because the transmission networks in Alaska are isolated from other interconnections in North America, average rates for electricity are $0.18 per

kWh A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a non-SI unit of energy equal to 3.6 megajoules (MJ) in SI units, which is the energy delivered by one kilowatt of power for one hour. Kilowatt-hours are a common b ...

– the second highest price in the United States after Hawaii, whose average residential rate is $0.37 per kWh. In contrast, the average rate for electricity in the 48 contiguous states is $0.10 per kWh.

References

Electric power transmission system operators in the United States Electric power transmission system operators in North America Electric power transmission system operators in Canada Companies based in Salt Lake City Companies established in 2002 2002 establishments in Utah Electric power transmission systems in the United States Electricity in Alaska {{Alaska-stub

Production

Isolation from other power grids

Impact to cost

See also

References