Seattle Steam Company

The Seattle Steam Company is a privately owned public utility that provides steam (generated by burning natural gas) to over 200 business in downtown Seattle and on First Hill. Its plant is located on Western Avenue just west of the Pike Place Market.

Seattle Steam was founded in 1893 as the Seattle Steam Heat and Power Co. and has 18 miles of pipes under the streets of Downtown. Its average winter output is 500,000 pounds of steam; this drops to 100,000 pounds in the summer.

Seattle Steam's biggest customers are Swedish Medical Center , Harborview Medical Center , and Virginia Mason Medical Center , which use the steam for heat and sterilization. Other big customers include hotels, which use the steam for heat and for generating hot water, and the Seattle Public Library, which uses it for heat.