Alaska Systems Coordinating Council

The Alaska Systems Coordinating Council (ASCC) is the reliability and coordination organization associated with Alaska's principal electricity transmission networks, collectively referred to as the Alaska Interconnection. It was formed in 1983 and is an affiliate member of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). Although the Alaska Interconnection is commonly described as a single power grid, it consists of two separate alternating-current systems: one serving Central Alaska and another serving Southeast Alaska. Neither system has an interconnector to the other, and neither is connected to the major North American interconnections, including the Western, Eastern, or Texas Interconnections. ASCC nevertheless coordinates the two systems as a unified entity for planning and reliability purposes. The organization operates in a distinctive electrical environment. Alaska's transmission infrastructure is geographically dispersed and isolated from the continental networks, limiting the ability to import electricity or rely on neighboring systems during generation shortages or emergencies. The systems operate at the North American standard frequency of 60 hertz and deliver electricity to customers through the same basic split-phase 120/240-volt service used elsewhere in the United States and Canada. Their isolation does not therefore reflect a different customer-facing electrical standard; it primarily concerns the absence of grid connections to other power systems. The Alaska Interconnection is the smallest of the major North American transmission interconnections by both geographic scale and electricity production. In 2015, its generation totaled approximately 2,601 gigawatt-hours, including about 1,219 gigawatt-hours produced from natural gas. The limited scale, remote geography, and lack of interconnection contribute to comparatively high electricity costs. Average electricity rates in Alaska were reported at approximately $0.18 per kilowatt-hour, higher than the average for the contiguous United States, although lower than the cited average for Hawaii. ASCC's role is primarily institutional and technical rather than consumer-facing. It coordinates reliability-related matters for the two Alaskan systems and represents their organization within the broader North American reliability framework. Its responsibilities are relevant to transmission planning, system coordination, operating reliability, and the management of an electrical environment in which local generation and transmission assets must generally provide resilience without support from outside interconnections. The possibility of linking Alaska with the Western Interconnection through British Columbia was proposed in 2014 as a way to improve access to lower-cost and potentially cleaner electricity. The proposal was presented to the Alaska Energy Authority, but no further work had been completed by 2016 because of economic-feasibility concerns. The proposal illustrates the structural challenge facing the systems coordinated by ASCC: greater interconnection could diversify supply and reduce isolation, but the distance, terrain, construction requirements, and expected costs make major transmission projects difficult to justify.

The Alaska Systems Coordinating Council was established in 1983 to coordinate the operation and reliability of Alaska's major electricity systems. Its creation reflects Alaska's unusual position within the North American power sector. Unlike most large utility regions in the United States, Alaska is not connected to the Western, Eastern, or Texas Interconnections. Its principal transmission facilities instead form two isolated alternating-current systems, one in Central Alaska and one in Southeast Alaska. The two systems are often grouped under the name Alaska Interconnection, but they are not physically connected to each other. They also lack transmission links to neighboring Canadian or United States grids. ASCC treats the two systems as a coordinated whole for organizational and reliability purposes, even though electricity cannot freely flow between them. This arrangement requires utilities and system operators in each area to depend primarily on locally available generation, transmission capacity, operating procedures, and reserve resources. Both systems use a 60-hertz synchronous frequency and provide ordinary North American residential service at 120/240 volts. Their isolation is therefore a matter of grid topology and system resource dependence rather than a separate consumer electrical standard. The absence of external interconnections, however, limits the ability to import power during periods of high demand, generation outages, or fuel constraints. It also makes large-scale transmission planning more complex because long-distance links must be justified without the benefits of an already connected regional market. The Alaska Interconnection remains small compared with the other major North American interconnections. Reported 2015 generation was approximately 2,601 gigawatt-hours, with natural gas accounting for roughly 1,219 gigawatt-hours. Alaska's geography and dispersed population contribute to a system that is less densely interconnected than the continental grids. These structural conditions are also associated with higher electricity prices. A reported average rate of about $0.18 per kilowatt-hour exceeded the average for the contiguous United States, while remaining below the cited average for Hawaii. In 2014, a possible transmission connection from Alaska to the Western Interconnection through British Columbia was proposed to the Alaska Energy Authority. Such a link could have provided access to additional generation resources and potentially reduced reliance on more expensive local supply. By 2016, however, the proposal had not advanced because of questions about its economic feasibility. The status of that proposal underscores the continuing importance of local coordination and reliability management in Alaska. ASCC is an affiliate member of NERC, connecting Alaska's regional coordination structure to the wider North American electricity-reliability system. Its significance lies less in retail branding or direct consumer sales than in the technical and institutional coordination required to operate isolated transmission networks safely and reliably.

1. 2016Interconnector work remained incomplete

   No further work had been completed on the proposed British Columbia connection because of economic-feasibility concerns.

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2. 2015Reported Alaska Interconnection generation

   The Alaska Interconnection generated approximately 2,601 gigawatt-hours, including about 1,219 gigawatt-hours from natural gas.

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3. 2014Alaska–British Columbia interconnector proposed

   A possible connection to the Western Interconnection through British Columbia was proposed to the Alaska Energy Authority as a means of improving access to power resources.

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4. 1983Council formed

   The Alaska Systems Coordinating Council was established to coordinate Alaska's principal isolated electricity systems.

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A regional electricity-system coordination body focused on maintaining reliable operation of Alaska's isolated transmission networks within the broader North American reliability framework.

• Transmission-system coordinationElectricity system operations1983

  Coordination of the two physically separate transmission systems commonly grouped as the Alaska Interconnection. The function includes treating the Central and Southeast Alaska systems as a unified reliability and planning subject even though they cannot exchange electricity directly through an interconnector.

• Reliability coordinationPower-grid reliability1983

  Technical and institutional coordination intended to support dependable operation of Alaska's isolated electricity networks. The role is particularly important because the systems cannot draw on the Western, Eastern, or Texas Interconnections during disturbances or supply shortfalls.

• 2014Evaluation of a British Columbia interconnectionStrategy

  Alaska's power systems are isolated from the other North American interconnections, contributing to limited resource-sharing options and comparatively high electricity prices.

  What changed. A transmission connection to the Western Interconnection through British Columbia was proposed to the Alaska Energy Authority, with the potential to provide access to cleaner or less expensive electricity.

  Aftermath. By 2016, the project had not progressed further because its economic feasibility remained unresolved.

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1. Alaska Interconnection