Kenai Peninsula, Alaska: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Kenai, Homer and Soldotna
No data center or power plant project is on record in Kenai Peninsula, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Unemployment was 3.4% in August 2026, against 6.6% in 2019. Kenai Peninsula is home to Kenai, Homer, Soldotna and Seward. Next door, Anchorage has 2 data centers. Construction employs 1,020, up 11.0% since 2019. Employers here counted 21,722 jobs in 2025, up 10.3% from 2019 (the 5th fastest growth of 28 Alaska counties).
Cities and towns in Kenai Peninsula
Kenai Peninsula is home to Kenai, Homer, Soldotna and Seward.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Anchor Point, Bear Creek, Beluga, Clam Gulch, Cohoe, Cooper Landing, Crown Point, Diamond Ridge, Fox River, Fritz Creek, Funny River, Halibut Cove, Happy Valley, Hope, Kalifornsky, Kasilof, Lowell Point, Moose Pass, Nanwalek, Nikiski, Nikolaevsk, Ninilchik, Point Possession, Port Graham, Primrose, Ridgeway, Salamatof, Seldovia Village, Sterling, Sunrise, Tyonek.
Residents are 2025 Census estimates for the part of each city, town or township inside this county. Census publishes no annual estimate for unincorporated communities.
What changed in Kenai Peninsula
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Alaska |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 58,939 | 61,951 | ▲ 5.1% | 4th of 28 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 19,694 | 21,722 | ▲ 10.3% | 5th of 28 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $51,123 | $66,145 | ▲ 29.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 919 | 1,020 | ▲ 11.0% | 5th of 8 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 6.6% | 3.4% | ▼ 3.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 48 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 1 MW | — |
1 MW has retired here since 2019, including Seldovia (petroleum, 1 MW, 2025). Its power plants have 750 MW of capacity, 72% of it natural gas, the 2nd largest fleet in Alaska. 48 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly battery storage. Chugach Electric Assn Inc is the largest utility serving Kenai Peninsula, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 21.24¢/kWh in 2024, below the 26.58¢ median for Alaska utilities. 61,951 people live here, up 5.1% since 2020, 4th of 28 Alaska counties by population.
Who powers Kenai Peninsula
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +46 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Kenai Peninsula
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chugach Electric Assn Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 97,048 | 21.24¢ | 66% |
| Homer Electric Assn Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 29,721 | 29.79¢ | 33% |
| City of Seward - (AK) | — | — | — | — | — |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
Operating power plants 10
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 541 MW | 72% |
| Hydro | 145 MW | 19% |
| Battery storage | 46 MW | 6% |
| Petroleum | 18 MW | 2% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beluga | Chugach Electric Assn Inc | Natural gas | 312 MW | 1968 |
| Bradley Lake | Homer Electric Assn Inc | Hydro | 126 MW | 1991 |
| Soldotna | Homer Electric Assn Inc | Natural gas | 96 MW | 2014 |
| Nikiski Combined Cycle | Homer Electric Assn Inc | Natural gas | 81 MW | 1986 |
| Bernice Lake | Homer Electric Assn Inc | Natural gas | 77 MW | 1971 |
| Cooper Lake | Chugach Electric Assn Inc | Hydro | 19 MW | 1961 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seldovia | Petroleum | 1 MW | 2025 |
The Kenai Peninsula labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 21,722 | $66,145 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,020 | $71,359 | 0.89 |
Concentration is the BLS location quotient: 1.0 means the industry holds the same share of local jobs as it does nationally. Industry rows count private employers; cells BLS suppresses are left out.
Data centers and local rules in Kenai Peninsula
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Kenai Peninsula. Alaska has 3 local measures on record statewide.
Kenai Peninsula and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Kenai Peninsula, Anchorage carries the most build-out activity: data centers, planned generation and operating plants combined.
| County | Population | Jobs since 2019 | Operating MW | Planned MW | Data centers | Local measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenai Peninsula | 61,951 | ▲ 10.3% | 750 MW | — | — | — |
| Anchorage | 287,155 | ▲ 0.4% | 869 MW | — | 2 | — |
| Bethel | 18,391 | ▼ 9.7% | 32 MW | — | — | — |
| Kodiak Island | 12,387 | ▼ 1.2% | 85 MW | — | — | — |
| Lake and Peninsula | 1,357 | ▼ 13.1% | 2 MW | — | — | — |
| Matanuska-Susitna | 118,666 | ▲ 22.4% | 50 MW | — | — | — |
| Valdez-Cordova | — | — | 58 MW | — | — | — |
More of Alaska
Kenai Peninsula, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Kenai Peninsula, Alaska?
3 utilities have service territory in Kenai Peninsula in the EIA-861 2024 report: Chugach Electric Assn Inc, Homer Electric Assn Inc, City of Seward - (AK). The largest, Chugach Electric Assn Inc, charged residential customers 21.24¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Kenai Peninsula?
10 operating plants with 750 MW of capacity. The largest is Beluga (312 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Kenai Peninsula?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Kenai Peninsula. The nearest activity on record is next door in Anchorage.
Is Kenai Peninsula adding jobs?
Employers counted 21,722 jobs in 2025 against 19,694 in 2019 (+10.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 919 to 1,020.
Does Kenai Peninsula have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Kenai Peninsula. Alaska has 3 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.