Alabama Power

Last updated
Alabama Power Company
Company type Subsidiary
Industry Electricity
Founded1906;118 years ago (1906)
Headquarters Birmingham, Alabama, US
Alabama Power Headquarters Complex
Key people
Jeff Peoples (chairman, CEO and president)
Moses Feagin (CFO) [1]
Products Electric power
RevenueIncrease2.svgUS$7.817  billion (2022)[ citation needed ]
Parent Southern Company
Website 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. [2] It is one of four U.S. utilities operated by the Southern Company, one of the nation's largest generators of electricity.

Contents

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).[ citation needed ]

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.

Pollution

William Crawford Gorgas Electric Generating Plant Gorgas Electric Generating Plant LOC HABS 180273.jpg
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. [3] The settlement did not include claims regarding five coal-fired plants. [4] 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.[ needs update ] SELC was involved in a case against Duke Energy that was appealed to the Supreme Court in 2006. [5] [6]

As of 2021, AP's coal-fired James H. Miller Jr. Electric Generating Plant is the single largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the United States. [7]

Public benefits

In addition to generating electricity, the waters surrounding the plants offer recreational opportunities for Alabama residents and visitors.[ citation needed ]

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 [8]

Allegations of media manipulation

An investigation by National Public Radio and Floodlight News found Alabama Power paid consulting firm Matrix LLC, which in turn allegedly paid newspapers or affiliated groups which ran positive coverage of Alabama Power, namely Yellowhammer News , the Alabama Political Reporter (for which Matrix designed the website), and Alabama Today . [9]

Terry Dunn ran and won a campaign for a seat on the Alabama Public Service Commission promising to hold a formal rate hearing to investigate Alabama Power's financials and why electricity prices in Alabama are among the highest in the country. He alleges a utility company lobbyist warned him to be a team player if he wanted to keep his seat, and that utility-funded newspapers conducted a smear campaign that resulted in Dunn losing the next election and avoided the promised rate hearing. [9]

In 2017, Matrix hired a private investigator to surveil Southern Company CEO Tom Fanning near his home. [10]

Power generating facilities

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Fossil fuel plants

PlantNearest CityCoordinatesCapacity
James M. Barry Electric Generating Plant Bucks, Alabama 31°00′22″N88°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″N85°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″N86°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 Gorgas, Alabama 33°38′42″N87°12′01″W / 33.64500°N 87.20028°W / 33.64500; -87.20028 (William Crawford Gorgas Electric Generating Plant) 1,221,250 kW
Greene County Electric Generating Plant Demopolis, Alabama 32°36′06″N87°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″N87°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
PlantNearest CityCoordinatesCapacity
Weiss Hydroelectric Generating Plant Leesburg, Alabama 34°7′56.10″N85°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″N86°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″N86°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″N86°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″N86°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″N86°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″N86°16′58.51″W / 32.5846167°N 86.2829194°W / 32.5846167; -86.2829194 (Bouldin Hydroelectric Generating Plant) 225,000 kW
Tallapoosa River
PlantNearest CityCoordinatesCapacity
Harris Hydroelectric Generating Plant Lineville, Alabama 33°15′30.20″N85°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″N85°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″N85°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″N85°53′15.88″W / 32.5348500°N 85.8877444°W / 32.5348500; -85.8877444 (Thurlow Hydroelectric Generating Plant) 85,000 kW
Black Warrior River
PlantNearest CityCoordinatesCapacity
Smith Hydroelectric Generating Plant Jasper, Alabama 33°56′30.63″N87°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″N87°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″N87°26′58.65″W / 33.2551778°N 87.4496250°W / 33.2551778; -87.4496250 (Holt Hydroelectric Generating Plant) 49,000 kW

Nuclear plants

PlantNearest CityCoordinatesCapacity
Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Generating Station Dothan, Alabama 31°13′23.32″N85°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

PlantNearest CityCoordinatesCapacity
Theodore Cogen Facility Theodore, Alabama 273,870 kW
Washington County Cogen Facility McIntosh, Alabama 122,579 kW
Sabic Cogen Facility Burkville, Alabama 32°18′29.65″N86°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 [11] Birmingham, Alabama n/a - steam production only

See also

Alabama Power previous logo Alabama Power logo.svg
Alabama Power previous logo

Related Research Articles

Southern Company is an American gas and electric utility holding company based in the Southern United States. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with executive offices also located in Birmingham, Alabama. The company is the second largest utility company in the U.S. in terms of customer base, as of 2021. Through its subsidiaries it serves 9 million gas and electric utility customers in 6 states. Southern Company's regulated regional electric utilities serve a 120,000-square-mile (310,000 km2) territory with 27,000 miles (43,000 km) of distribution lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coosa River</span> River in Alabama and Georgia, U.S.

The Coosa River is a tributary of the Alabama River in the U.S. states of Alabama and Georgia. The river is about 280 miles (450 km) long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tallapoosa River</span> River in Alabama and Georgia, United States

The Tallapoosa River runs 265 miles (426 km) from the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia, United States, southward and westward into the Appalachian foothills in Alabama. It is formed by the confluence of McClendon Creek and Mud Creek in Paulding County, Georgia. Lake Martin at Dadeville, Alabama is a large and popular water recreation area formed by a dam on the river. The Tallapoosa joins the Coosa River about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Montgomery near Wetumpka to form the Alabama River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plant Scherer</span> Coal-fired power station in Georgia, US

The Robert W. Scherer Power Plant is a coal-fired power plant in Juliette, Georgia, just north of Macon, Georgia, in the United States. The plant has four generating units, each capable of producing 930 megawatts, and is the most powerful coal-fired plant in North America. The plant is named after the former chairman and chief executive officer of Georgia Power.

The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) is the largest 501(c)(3) environmental nonprofit organization in the southeastern United States, with more than 100 attorneys and 200 staff members overall working at the local, state, and federal level. Headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia, SELC has nine offices in six states: Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The organization also has an office on Capitol Hill.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ "Birmingham's Alabama Power names new chief financial officer". AL.com. 2010-07-28. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  2. ↑ "Alabama Power Company Fact Card - 2011" (PDF). Alabama Power Company. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-12-01. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  3. ↑ Alabama Power Company to Spend More Than $200 Million Under Clean Air Act Settlement
  4. ↑ Partial Consent Decree, United States District Court Northern District of Alabama Southern Division
  5. ↑ Legal Action Against Alabama Power Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ Legal Actions Against Duke Energy and Alabama Power Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ Who Were the Worst Climate Polluters in the US in 2021? - Inside Climate News
  8. ↑ Alabama Power Foundation Website Archived 2007-02-18 at the Wayback Machine
  9. 1 2 David Folkenflik; Mario Ariza; Miranda Green (December 19, 2022). "In the Southeast, power company money flows to news sites that attack their critics".
  10. ↑ Operative group Matrix hired detective who surveilled Southern Co. CEO
  11. ↑ Alabama Power Company; James L. Noles Jr., James L. Noles, 2001; ISBN   0-7385-1354-7
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