Massive Artificial Intelligence Facility Threatens to Deepen Alaska's Energy Crisis
Anchorage, Tuesday, 26 May 2026.
A proposed artificial intelligence center could consume twice the natural gas of urban Alaska, potentially spiking state emissions by 50 percent amidst an ongoing regional energy crisis.
A Collision of Tech Ambitions and Local Realities
Stak Energy, an Alaska-based energy infrastructure startup, has set its sights on a monumental project: a $500 million data center campus located on the remote North Slope [2][3]. Recent filings reveal that the company has secured preliminary approval from the state to lease 715.4 acres of land in the Umiat Meridian, situated adjacent to the Dalton Highway and approximately 26 miles south of Deadhorse [3]. The timeline is aggressive, with construction slated to begin in the summer of 2026 and initial operations targeted for late 2028 [3]. The facility is designed to scale up to a staggering 3 gigawatts of capacity, though initial plans detail a 1-gigawatt on-site natural gas generation system, leaving 2 gigawatts for future expansion phases [3][4].