6th largest plant in Alabama · 109th nationally
Joseph M Farley is a nuclear power plant in Alabama with a nameplate capacity of 1,776 MW. It generates roughly 14.8M MWh per year — enough to power about 1,405,574 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 95% means it runs nearly around-the-clock as baseload generation.
| Plant Name | Joseph M Farley |
|---|---|
| Operator | Alabama Power Co |
| City | Columbia |
| County | Houston County |
| State | Alabama |
| ZIP | 36319 |
| Coordinates | 31.22310, -85.11160 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nuclear | Uranium | 888 MW | Operating | 1977 |
| 2 | Nuclear | Uranium | 888 MW | Operating | 1981 |
| NERC Region | SERC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Southern Company Services, Inc. - Trans |
Nuclear plants generate carbon-free baseload electricity by fissioning uranium fuel inside a reactor. They run nearly around-the-clock — typical capacity factors above 90% — and a single facility can power millions of homes. Spent fuel is stored on-site in dry casks. NRC oversees safety; emergency planning zones extend 10 miles from the reactor.