Alabama Power

Alabama Power Company

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Electric utility
Headquarters	Birmingham , United States
Area served	Southern portion of Alabama
Products	Electricity; retail appliance outlets
Owner	Southern Company
Parent	Southern Company

Alabama Power Company, with its headquarters located in Birmingham, Alabama, supplies electricity to approximately 1.4 million customers throughout the southern portion of Alabama. In addition to its utility services, the company operates retail appliance outlets. It is one of the four utility subsidiaries managed by Southern Company, a leading electricity producer in the United States.

As a tax-paying, investor-owned utility, Alabama Power ranks as Southern Company's second largest division. Its extensive infrastructure consists of more than of transmission lines spanning its entire service region.

The company’s energy generation mix includes hydroelectric facilities situated on the Tallapoosa River, Coosa River, and Black Warrior River, complemented by coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear power plants, and cogeneration units distributed across Alabama.

Pollution

In 1999, the United States Environmental Protection Agency launched enforcement actions against Alabama Power under the provisions of the Clean Air Act. By 2006, Alabama Power consented to allocate over $200 million toward pollution control enhancements as part of a partial settlement agreement. Legal proceedings concerning five coal-fired plants advanced to trial, where Alabama Power secured a favorable verdict; however, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) has expressed intentions to appeal. Notably, SELC had previously been involved in litigation against Duke Energy that escalated to the Supreme Court in 2006.

As of 2021, Alabama Power’s coal-fired James H. Miller Jr. Electric Generating Plant remains the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide in the United States, underscoring persistent environmental and regulatory challenges confronting the company.

Public benefits

In addition to producing electricity, Alabama Power promotes recreational activities on water bodies adjacent to its generating stations. The nonprofit Alabama Power Foundation awards grants funding watershed conservation, environmental stewardship, and community initiatives mainly along the Coosa River and throughout Alabama. These efforts demonstrate the company’s commitment to corporate social responsibility and community involvement.

Allegations of media manipulation

Investigations by National Public Radio and Floodlight News uncovered that Alabama Power financed the consulting firm Matrix LLC, which purportedly compensated media outlets such as Yellowhammer News, Alabama Political Reporter, and Alabama Today for positive editorial coverage. This approach indicates attempts to shape public opinion and influence regulatory discussions.

Terry Dunn, a former member of the Alabama Public Service Commission, ran on a platform advocating scrutiny of Alabama Power’s financial practices and high electricity prices. He claims that lobbying pressure from utility interests and a smear campaign orchestrated through utility-funded media contributed to his electoral defeat and hindered promised hearings on rate adjustments.

In 2017, Matrix engaged a private investigator to monitor Southern Company CEO Tom Fanning near his home, reflecting assertive tactics connected to corporate governance disputes.

Fossil fuel plants

Plant	Closest City	Coordinates	Capacity
James M. Barry Electric Generating Plant	Bucks, Alabama		2,657,200 kW
Ernest C. Gaston Electric Generating Plant	Wilsonville, Alabama		1,880,000 kW
William Crawford Gorgas Electric Generating Plant	Gorgas, Alabama		1,221,250 kW
Greene County Electric Generating Plant	Demopolis, Alabama		1,220,000 kW
James H. Miller Jr. Electric Generating Plant	West Jefferson, Alabama		2,640,000 kW

Hydroelectric Facilities

Coosa River
Facility	Closest City	Coordinates	Output Capacity
Weiss Hydroelectric Generating Plant	Leesburg, Alabama		87,750 kW
Henry Hydroelectric Generating Plant	Ohatchee, Alabama		72,900 kW
Logan Martin Hydroelectric Generating Plant	Vincent, Alabama		128,250 kW
Lay Dam Hydroelectric Generating Plant	Clanton, Alabama		177,000 kW
Mitchell Hydroelectric Generating Plant	Verbena, Alabama		170,000 kW
Jordan Hydroelectric Generating Plant	Wetumpka, Alabama		100,000 kW
Walter Bouldin Dam Hydroelectric Generating Plant	Wetumpka, Alabama		225,000 kW		Tallapoosa River					Facility	Closest City	Coordinates	Output Capacity	- R.L. Harris Dam Hydroelectric Generating Plant Lineville, Alabama 135,000 kW - Martin Dam Hydroelectric Generating Plant Tallassee, Alabama 154,200 kW - Yates Hydroelectric Generating Plant Tallassee, Alabama 45,500 kW - Thurlow Hydroelectric Generating Plant Tallassee, Alabama 85,000 kW	Black Warrior River				Facility	Closest City	Coordinates	Output Capacity - Lewis Smith Lake Hydroelectric Generating Plant Jasper, Alabama 157,500 kW - Bankhead Lake Hydroelectric Generating Plant Northport, Alabama 53,985 kW - Holt Lock and Dam Hydroelectric Generating Plant Holt, Alabama 49,000 kW } Nuclear Facilities Facility Closest City Coordinates Output Capacity Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Generating Station Dothan, Alabama 1,720,000 kW Cogeneration and Additional Facilities Facility Closest City Coordinates Output Capacity Theodore Cogen Facility Theodore, Alabama 273,870 kW Washington County Cogen Facility McIntosh, Alabama 122,579 kW Sabic Cogen Facility Burkville, Alabama 105,100 kW Powell Avenue Steam Plant Birmingham, Alabama 'Steam generation only'