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 work. Power is defined formally as units of energy per unit time. In SI units: :\text = \frac = \frac Since the deve ...

grid in North America that serves Central and

Southeast Alaska Southeast Alaska, colloquially referred to as 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 province of British Columbia (and a small par ...

. While the Alaska Interconnection is often referred to as one interconnected grid, its two parts are not connected to each other through

interconnectors An interconnector (also known as a DC tie in the USA) is a structure which enables high voltage DC electricity to flow between electrical grids. An electrical interconnector allows electricity to flow between separate AC networks, or to link sy ...

, 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 Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

as if they were one entity like the other interconnections in North America.

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 (AC) power grids in the North American power transmission grid. The other major wide area synchronous grid is the Eastern Interconnecti ...

, the

Eastern Interconnection The Eastern Interconnection is one of the two major alternating-current (AC) electrical grids in the North American power transmission grid. The other major interconnection is the Western Interconnection. The three minor interconnections a ...

, 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 Inter ...

– 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 after James Wa ...

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

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

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 ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

and the contiguous

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

with a

split-phase A split-phase or single-phase three-wire system is a type of single-phase electric power distribution. It is the alternating current (AC) equivalent of the original Edison Machine Works three-wire direct-current system. Its primary advantage is ...

240/120 volt service.

Isolation from other power grids

In 2014, an interconnector to the Western Interconnection of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

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 unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bi ...

– 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