James M. Barry Electric Generating Plant
| Company type | Power plant |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electric power generation |
| Founded | 1954 |
| Headquarters | Bucks, Mobile County, Alabama , United States |
| Products | Electricity (coal and natural gas) |
James M. Barry Electric Generating Plant, frequently referred to as Barry Steam Plant or simply Plant Barry, is a power production facility fueled by coal and natural gas, situated in Bucks, Mobile County, Alabama, United States. Positioned along the west bank of the Mobile River, the plant utilizes the river both for transporting coal and for cooling purposes. The facility is named in honor of James M. Barry, who served as President of Alabama Power Company from 1949 until 1952. As of 2018, the plant comprised nine generating units: seven powered by natural gas and two by coal.
Design and specification
The initial configuration of Barry Plant included five coal-fired units commissioned over the period from 1954 through 1971, with individual capacities of 138 MW, 137 MW, 249 MW, 362 MW, and 750 MW respectively. In the year 2000, the facility expanded by adding five natural gas-fired units, which consisted of three combined cycle combustion turbines each with a winter capacity of 173 MWe, alongside two combined cycle steam turbines rated at 193 MWe during winter conditions.
Air
According to a 2007 assessment conducted by the Environmental Integrity Project based in Washington, D.C., Barry Plant ranked 25th nationwide in mercury emissions among power plants, releasing approximately 711 pounds annually. It also placed 28th in nitrogen oxide emissions with an annual output of about 24,000 tons. Additionally, the plant emitted roughly 61,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and around 11 million tons of carbon dioxide each year. To mitigate these pollutants, Alabama Power is implementing scrubber technology across all its coal-fired facilities, including Barry.
The coal ash containment area at the plant, located on a curve of the Mobile River, has been identified as a source of heavy metal contamination affecting both groundwater and river water. This environmental issue has played a role in designating the Mobile River as the third most endangered river in the United States.
Waste heat
The facility releases waste heat into the Mobile River at a rate estimated to be about twice its electrical generation output.