Status: Operating
The Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) owns the Bradley Lake Hydroelectric Project, the largest hydroelectric facility in Alaska. Located near Homer, the project provides approximately 10 percent of the total annual power used by Railbelt utilities, delivering some of the lowest-cost power to about 75 percent of Alaska’s population. From 1995 through 2020, the Project averaged 392,000 megawatt-hours annually at a cost of about $0.04 per kilowatt-hour.
Project Overview
The Bradley Lake Hydroelectric Project is located 27-air miles northeast of Homer on the Kenai Peninsula and has 120 MW of installed capacity. The project includes a 125-foot-high concrete-faced, rock-filled dam structure, four diversion structures, a 3.5-mile power tunnel and vertical shaft; a generating plant and interior substation; and approximately 20 miles of transmission line.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers first studied Bradley Lake’s power generation potential in 1955, and Congress authorized the project in 1962. AEA, then the Alaska Power Authority, assumed responsibility for the project in 1982. Licensing, construction, and utility participation followed, along with the creation of the
Bradley Lake Project Management Committee (BPMC) and a Power Sales Agreement with Railbelt utilities. Legislative appropriations and AEA revenue bonds funded the project, participating utilities repaying the bonds. BPMC manages day-to-day operations, subject to AEA’s retained rights and responsibilities.
Project Video
Watch a short video highlighting the Bradley Lake Hydroelectric Project and its role in the Railbelt energy system. Click below to view.