12th largest plant in Alabama · 367th nationally
Decatur Energy Center is a natural gas power plant in Alabama with a nameplate capacity of 902 MW. It generates roughly 2.1M MWh per year — enough to power about 202,366 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 27% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 871 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (902 MW nameplate × hours in the month). Filled bars are actual net generation reported to EIA Form 923. The gap between them is capacity factor made visible.
| Plant Name | Decatur Energy Center |
|---|---|
| Operator | Decatur Energy Center Llc |
| City | Decatur |
| County | Morgan County |
| State | Alabama |
| ZIP | 35601 |
| Coordinates | 34.62920, -87.02140 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STG1 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 270 MW | Operating | 2002 |
| CTG1 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 211 MW | Operating | 2002 |
| CTG2 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 211 MW | Operating | 2002 |
| CTG3 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 211 MW | Operating | 2003 |
| CO₂ | 925.6k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 5 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 67 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 871 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.