The State of Alaska is developing two new utility-scale coal-fired power plants with carbon capture utilization and storage in southern and central parts of the state, Governor Mike Dunleavy told Infralogic on the sidelines of CERAWeek in Houston.

The projects are 600 MW to 800 MW, the governor said. His administration is confident it could secure public and private capital inputs. An RFP will be issued in the next several months.

“Because of CCUS, that adds another component on there with your 45Q and other credits,” Dunleavy said, referencing the Inflation Reduction Act. “It makes it attractive. These would be large coal plants.”

The governor mentioned in-state coal mining company Usibelli as a potential provider of coal to the facilities, which would power remote mining facilities along newly built roads.

Small nuclear, feeder gas lines and other technologies have also been considered as ways to power remote mining operations in Alaska, the governor said.

The last coal-fired power plant built in the US was the 932 MW Sandy Creek Energy Station in Texas, which came online in 2013.