| James M. Barry Electric Generating Plant | |
|---|---|
| Location | Bucks, Alabama |
| Coordinates | |
| Status | Active |
| Commission date | Unit 1: February, 1954 Unit 2: July, 1954 Unit 3: July, 1959 Unit 4: July, 1959 Unit 5: October, 1971 Gas Units: May, 2000 |
| Owner(s) | Alabama Power Company |
| Power station information | |
| Primary fuel | Bituminous coal, natural gas |
| Power generation information | |
| Maximum capacity | 2,671 MWe |
James M. Barry Electric Generating Plant is a coal- and natural gas-fired electrical generation facility in Bucks, Mobile County, Alabama.[1] It lies on the west bank of the Mobile River, using it both for coal delivery as well as for cooling water. The plant was named for James M. Barry, President of Alabama Power Company from 1949 to 1952.[2]
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The Barry Plant has five major coal-fired units, which came online in 1954–1971, with respective generating capacities of 138 MW, 137 MW, 249 MW, 362 MW, and 750 MW (year-around). Five natural gas-fired units, including three combined cycle combustion turbines (173 MWe each of winter capacity) and two combined cycle steam turbines (193 MWe each of winter capacity), were installed in 2000.[3]
A 2007 survey by the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Integrity Project found that the Barry Plant ranked 25th of the top 30 mercury emitting power plants in the United States, releasing 711 pounds (323 kg) of mercury into the atmosphere. The plant ranked 28th for the amount of nitrogen oxides released into the atmosphere, with 24,000 tons released. Additionally, the survey found that the plant released a yearly total of 61,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and 11 million tons of carbon dioxide.[4][5] A company spokesman for Alabama Power, Michael Sznajderman, noted that scrubbers are being installed at all of the company's coal-fired plants, which will reduce emission levels in coming years.[5]
The plant discharges all of its waste heat (about twice its electrical output) into the Mobile River.