9th largest plant in Alabama · 252nd nationally
Colbert is a natural gas power plant in Alabama with a nameplate capacity of 1,170 MW. It generates roughly 78.7k MWh per year — enough to power about 7,493 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 1% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 951 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Colbert |
|---|---|
| Operator | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| City | Tuscumbia |
| County | Colbert County |
| State | Alabama |
| ZIP | 35674 |
| Coordinates | 34.74390, -87.84860 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 550 MW | Retired | 1965 |
| GT10 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 231 MW | Operating | 2023 |
| GT11 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 231 MW | Operating | 2023 |
| GT9 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 231 MW | Operating | 2023 |
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 200 MW | Retired | 1955 |
| 2 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 200 MW | Retired | 1955 |
| 3 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 200 MW | Retired | 1955 |
| 4 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 200 MW | Retired | 1955 |
| GT1 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 59.5 MW | Operating | 1972 |
| GT2 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 59.5 MW | Operating | 1972 |
| GT3 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 59.5 MW | Operating | 1972 |
| GT4 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 59.5 MW | Operating | 1972 |
| GT5 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 59.5 MW | Operating | 1972 |
| GT6 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 59.5 MW | Operating | 1972 |
| GT7 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 59.5 MW | Operating | 1972 |
| GT8 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 59.5 MW | Operating | 1972 |
| CO₂ | 37.4k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 4 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 62 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 951 lb/MWh |
Annual totals and CO₂ rate reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. Reference averages are approximate U.S.-wide figures from the same dataset.
| NERC Region | SERC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Tennessee Valley Authority |
Natural gas plants are the workhorse of the modern grid. Combined-cycle units achieve very high efficiency and can ramp up and down quickly to balance variable renewables. They emit roughly half the CO₂ per MWh of coal and far less of other pollutants, but they still release upstream methane during fuel extraction.