Alabama Power

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.

Alabama Power Company
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryElectricity
Founded1906
HeadquartersBirmingham, Alabama, USA
Alabama Power Headquarters Complex
Key people
Jeff Peoples, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President
Moses Feagin, Chief Financial Officer[1]
ProductsElectric power
RevenueIncreaseUS$7.817  billion (2022)
ParentSouthern Company
Websitewww.alabamapower.com

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'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

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. 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.

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

Fossil fuel plants
Plant Nearest City Coordinates Capacity
James M. Barry Electric Generating Plant Bucks, Alabama 31°00′22″N 88°00′40″W 2,657,200 kW
Gadsden Electric Generating Plant Gadsden, Alabama 34°0′46″N 85°58′13″W 120,000 kW
Ernest C. Gaston Electric Generating Plant Wilsonville, Alabama 33°14′35″N 86°27′33″W 1,880,000 kW
William Crawford Gorgas Electric Generating Plant Gorgas, Alabama 33°38′42″N 87°12′01″W 1,221,250 kW
Greene County Electric Generating Plant Demopolis, Alabama 32°36′06″N 87°46′58″W 1,220,000 kW
James H. Miller Jr. Electric Generating Plant West Jefferson, Alabama 33°37′55″N 87°03′38″W 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 87,750 kW
Henry Hydroelectric Generating Plant Ohatchee, Alabama 33°47′3.16″N 86°3′7.76″W 72,900 kW
Logan Martin Hydroelectric Generating Plant Vincent, Alabama 33°25′30.66″N 86°20′11.92″W 128,250 kW
Lay Hydroelectric Generating Plant Clanton, Alabama 32°57′48.58″N 86°31′6.14″W 177,000 kW
Mitchell Hydroelectric Generating Plant Verbena, Alabama 32°48′20.33″N 86°26′43.08″W 170,000 kW
Jordan Hydroelectric Generating Plant Wetumpka, Alabama 32°37′8.23″N 86°15′21.20″W 100,000 kW
Bouldin Hydroelectric Generating Plant Wetumpka, Alabama 32°35′4.62″N 86°16′58.51″W 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 135,000 kW
Martin Hydroelectric Generating Plant Tallassee, Alabama 32°40′47.69″N 85°54′36.88″W 154,200 kW
Yates Hydroelectric Generating Plant Tallassee, Alabama 32°34′26.96″N 85°53′22.99″W 45,500 kW
Thurlow Hydroelectric Generating Plant Tallassee, Alabama 32°32′5.46″N 85°53′15.88″W 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 157,500 kW
Bankhead Hydroelectric Generating Plant Northport, Alabama 33°27′28.27″N 87°21′19.94″W 53,985 kW
Holt Hydroelectric Generating Plant Holt, Alabama 33°15′18.64″N 87°26′58.65″W 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 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
Sabic Cogen Facility Burkville, Alabama 32°18′29.65″N 86°31′6.43″W 105,100 kW
Powell Avenue Steam Plant[11] Birmingham, Alabama n/a - steam production only

See also
Alabama Power previous logo

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
  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. 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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