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Alabama Power

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Alabama Power Company
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryElectricity
Founded1906
HeadquartersBirmingham, Alabama, USA
Alabama Power Headquarters Complex
Key people
Mark Crosswhite, Chief Executive Officer and President
Phil Raymond, Chief Financial Officer[1]
ProductsElectric power
RevenueUS$5.9 billion (2014) [2]
Number of employees
6,552 (2010)[3]
ParentSouthern Company
Websitewww.alabamapower.com

Alabama Power Company, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is a company in the southern United States that provides electricity service to 1.4 million customers in the southern two-thirds of Alabama. It also operates appliance stores.[3] It is one of four U.S. utilities operated by the Southern Company, one of the nation’s largest generators of electricity.

Alabama Power is an investor-owned, tax-paying utility, and the second largest subsidiary of Southern Company. More than 78,000 miles (126,000 km) of power lines carry electricity to customers throughout 44,500 square miles (115,000 km2). Alabama Power is the largest taxpayer in Alabama. If the company was a stand-alone entity (as opposed to a subsidiary), it would be the largest company headquartered in Alabama by revenue (currently it is Regions Bank) and would rank #448[4] on the 2015 Fortune 500.

Alabama Power’s hydroelectric generating plants encompass several lakes on the Tallapoosa, Coosa, and Black Warrior rivers, as well as coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear and cogeneration plants in various parts of the state. In addition to generating electricity, the waters surrounding the plants offer recreational opportunities for Alabama residents and visitors.

Power generating facilities

Fossil fuel plants

Plant Nearest City Coordinates Capacity
James M. Barry Electric Generating Plant Bucks, Alabama 31°00′22″N 88°00′40″W / 31.00611°N 88.01111°W / 31.00611; -88.01111 (James M. Barry Electric Generating Plant) 2,657,200 kW
Gadsden Electric Generating Plant Gadsden, Alabama 34°0′46″N 85°58′13″W / 34.01278°N 85.97028°W / 34.01278; -85.97028 (Gadsden Electric Generating Plant) 120,000 kW
Ernest C. Gaston Electric Generating Plant Wilsonville, Alabama 33°14′35″N 86°27′33″W / 33.24306°N 86.45917°W / 33.24306; -86.45917 (Ernest C. Gaston Electric Generating Plant) 1,880,000 kW
William Crawford Gorgas Electric Generating Plant Parrish, Alabama 33°38′42″N 87°12′01″W / 33.64500°N 87.20028°W / 33.64500; -87.20028 (William Crawford Gorgas Electric Generating Plant) 1,221,250 kW
Green County Electric Generating Plant Demopolis, Alabama 32°36′06″N 87°46′58″W / 32.60167°N 87.78278°W / 32.60167; -87.78278 (Green County Electric Generating Plant) 1,220,000 kW
James H. Miller, Jr. Electric Generating Plant West Jefferson, Alabama 33°37′55″N 87°03′38″W / 33.63194°N 87.06056°W / 33.63194; -87.06056 (James H. Miller, Jr. Electric Generating Plant) 2,640,000 kW

Hydroelectric plants

Coosa River
Plant Nearest City Coordinates Capacity
Weiss Hydroelectric Generating Plant Leesburg, Alabama 34°7′56.10″N 85°47′35.76″W / 34.1322500°N 85.7932667°W / 34.1322500; -85.7932667 (Weiss Hydroelectric Generating Plant) 87,750 kW
Henry Hydroelectric Generating Plant Ohatchee, Alabama 33°47′3.16″N 86°3′7.76″W / 33.7842111°N 86.0521556°W / 33.7842111; -86.0521556 (Henry Hydroelectric Generating Plant) 72,900 kW
Logan Martin Hydroelectric Generating Plant Vincent, Alabama 33°25′30.66″N 86°20′11.92″W / 33.4251833°N 86.3366444°W / 33.4251833; -86.3366444 (Logan Martin Hydroelectric Generating Plant) 128,250 kW
Lay Hydroelectric Generating Plant Clanton, Alabama 32°57′48.58″N 86°31′6.14″W / 32.9634944°N 86.5183722°W / 32.9634944; -86.5183722 (Lay Hydroelectric Generating Plant) 177,000 kW
Mitchell Hydroelectric Generating Plant Verbena, Alabama 32°48′20.33″N 86°26′43.08″W / 32.8056472°N 86.4453000°W / 32.8056472; -86.4453000 (Mitchell Hydroelectric Generating Plant) 170,000 kW
Jordan Hydroelectric Generating Plant Wetumpka, Alabama 32°37′8.23″N 86°15′21.20″W / 32.6189528°N 86.2558889°W / 32.6189528; -86.2558889 (Jordan Hydroelectric Generating Plant) 100,000 kW
Bouldin Hydroelectric Generating Plant Wetumpka, Alabama 32°35′4.62″N 86°16′58.51″W / 32.5846167°N 86.2829194°W / 32.5846167; -86.2829194 (Bouldin Hydroelectric Generating Plant) 225,000 kW
Tallapoosa River
Plant Nearest City Coordinates Capacity
Harris Hydroelectric Generating Plant Lineville, Alabama 33°15′30.20″N 85°36′54.73″W / 33.2583889°N 85.6152028°W / 33.2583889; -85.6152028 (Harris Hydroelectric Generating Plant) 135,000 kW
Martin Hydroelectric Generating Plant Tallassee, Alabama 32°40′47.69″N 85°54′36.88″W / 32.6799139°N 85.9102444°W / 32.6799139; -85.9102444 (Martin Hydroelectric Generating Plant) 154,200 kW
Yates Hydroelectric Generating Plant Tallassee, Alabama 32°34′26.96″N 85°53′22.99″W / 32.5741556°N 85.8897194°W / 32.5741556; -85.8897194 (Yates Hydroelectric Generating Plant) 45,500 kW
Thurlow Hydroelectric Generating Plant Tallassee, Alabama 32°32′5.46″N 85°53′15.88″W / 32.5348500°N 85.8877444°W / 32.5348500; -85.8877444 (Thurlow Hydroelectric Generating Plant) 85,000 kW
Black Warrior River
Plant Nearest City Coordinates Capacity
Smith Hydroelectric Generating Plant Jasper, Alabama 33°56′30.63″N 87°6′31.95″W / 33.9418417°N 87.1088750°W / 33.9418417; -87.1088750 (Smith Hydroelectric Generating Plant) 157,500 kW
Bankhead Hydroelectric Generating Plant Northport, Alabama 33°27′28.27″N 87°21′19.94″W / 33.4578528°N 87.3555389°W / 33.4578528; -87.3555389 (Bankhead Hydroelectric Generating Plant) 53,985 kW
Holt Hydroelectric Generating Plant Holt, Alabama 33°15′18.64″N 87°26′58.65″W / 33.2551778°N 87.4496250°W / 33.2551778; -87.4496250 (Holt Hydroelectric Generating Plant) 49,000 kW

Nuclear plants

Plant Nearest City Coordinates Capacity
Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Generating Station Dothan, Alabama 31°13′23.32″N 85°6′47.85″W / 31.2231444°N 85.1132917°W / 31.2231444; -85.1132917 (Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Electric Generating Plant) 1,720,000 kW

Cogeneration and other plants

Plant Nearest City Coordinates Capacity
Theodore Cogen Facility Theodore, Alabama 273,870 kW
Washington County Cogen Facility McIntosh, Alabama 122,579 kW
GE Plastics Cogen Facility Burkville, Alabama 32°18′29.65″N 86°31′6.43″W / 32.3082361°N 86.5184528°W / 32.3082361; -86.5184528 (GE Plastics Cogen Facility) 105,100 kW
Powell Avenue Steam Plant[5] Birmingham, Alabama n/a - steam production only

Environmental litigation

William Crawford Gorgas Electric Generating Plant

In 1999 the United States Environmental Protection Agency commenced an enforcement action against Alabama Power under the Clean Air Act. In 2006, the EPA announced that Alabama Power had agreed to spend more than $200 m to upgrade pollution controls as a partial settlement of this action.[6] The settlement did not include claims regarding five coal-fired plants.[7] Those claims proceeded to trial, and Alabama Power prevailed. However, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) has stated that they intend to appeal the ruling. SELC was involved in a case against Duke Energy that was appealed to the Supreme Court in 2006.[8][9]

Corporate citizenship

The Alabama Power Foundation is a non-profit foundation providing grants for watershed, environmental and community projects along the Coosa River and within the state of Alabama[10]

In April 2006, Alabama Power and Southern Company were given the "Outstanding Stewardship of American Rivers Award" by the National Hydropower Association, representing domestic, non-federal hydroelectric producers, for their "Renew Our Rivers" program.[11]

See also

References

  • Atkins, Leah Rawl (2006). "Developed for the Service of Alabama" - The Centennial History of the Alabama Power Company 1906-2006. Birmingham, Alabama: Alabama Power Company. ISBN 978-0-9786753-0-1.
  • Jackson, Harvey H. III (1997). Putting Loafing Streams To Work-The Building of Lay, Mitchell, Martin, and Jordan Dams, 1910-1929. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: The University of Alabama Press. ISBN 0-8173-0879-2.

Notes