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. 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 of power lines carry electricity to customers throughout. Alabama Power is the largest taxpayer in Alabama.
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

Hydroelectric plants

Nuclear plants

Cogeneration and other plants

Environmental litigation

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. The settlement did not include claims regarding five coal-fired plants. Those claims proceeded to trial, and Alabama Power prevailed. However, the Southern Environmental Law Center 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.

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
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.