3rd largest plant in Georgia · 17th nationally
Jack Mcdonough is a natural gas power plant in Georgia with a nameplate capacity of 2,848 MW. It generates roughly 17.8M MWh per year — enough to power about 1,697,579 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 71% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 799 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits below the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (2,848 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 | Jack Mcdonough |
|---|---|
| Operator | Georgia Power Co |
| City | Smyrna |
| County | Cobb County |
| State | Georgia |
| ZIP | 30080 |
| Coordinates | 33.82390, -84.47580 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 369 MW | Operating | 2011 |
| 5 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 369 MW | Operating | 2012 |
| 6 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 369 MW | Operating | 2012 |
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 299 MW | Retired | 1963 |
| 2 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 299 MW | Retired | 1964 |
| 5ACT | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 276 MW | Operating | 2012 |
| 5BCT | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 276 MW | Operating | 2012 |
| 6ACT | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 276 MW | Operating | 2012 |
| 6BCT | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 276 MW | Operating | 2012 |
| CT4A | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 276 MW | Operating | 2011 |
| CT4B | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 276 MW | Operating | 2011 |
| 3A | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 41.8 MW | Operating | 1971 |
| 3B | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 41.8 MW | Operating | 1971 |
| CO₂ | 7.1M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 36 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 473 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 799 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 | Southern Company Services, Inc. - Trans |
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.