Information about power plant testing

May 21, 2019

Marmian Grimes

Over the weekend, testing at UAF’s new heat and power plant created noisy conditions, especially near West Valley High School. The testing was planned but took longer and was louder than anticipated.

As part of its testing, the plant must run at or nearly at full power to make sure it works properly. Doing so often creates more steam than can be used, so it is vented. The turbines were tested last weekend, starting at about 9 a.m. and finishing shortly after 4 p.m. The university later became aware that two sports events at the high school were affected by the noise. The university is reaching out to event organizers and other affected parties to apologize for the noise levels.

While additional testing at the plant will take place over the next several weeks, officials do not anticipate needing to vent as much steam, since the plant will be providing all of the heat and power to campus during those tests. They also have a plan to mitigate noise. UAF will keep the public and campus community informed of upcoming tests and any potential effects on the surrounding area.