Press start on the coffee pot or hit the TV remote, and electric devices zoom to life: Alabama Power is on and ready to serve.

At its core, the reliable electricity Alabama Power customers daily expect is due to the company’s careful planning to meet growing demand. The company’s generating fleet – made up of electric-generating plants and facilities across Alabama Power’s electric system – is in the top 5% of the most reliable in the U.S., based on plant forced outage rates.

Thanks to Generation employees and Alabama Power’s strategic energy mix, the company has consistently ranked among the nation’s most reliable utilities, with a 99.9% reliability rating for more than 10 years.

Generation is a cornerstone of Alabama Power’s operational excellence. The plants truly are online 24/7. Maintenance strategy is crucial, as plant operators and engineers ensure the correct equipment maintenance is completed to help prepare for high seasonal demand. Generation employees make repairs and updates at each plant during scheduled maintenance outages while also checking equipment to ensure it operates at peak performance.

Employee knowledge, information sharing among all the plants, proactive planning and technologies that can predict where breakdowns could occur are integral to the team’s success. Generation continues to prioritize training and employee expertise critical to plant operations, including instrumentation and controls, electrical systems and other areas.

Diversified fuel mix provides Generation a dynamic edge

During the past several years, the company has implemented a strategic generation mix of energy sources. Alabama Power combines newer assets with seasoned hydro dams; combined-cycle, combustion-turbines, coal- and gas-fired units; a nuclear plant; and the innovative Gorgas Battery Storage Facility, which will be fully online in 2027.

Each piece of the generating fleet plays a specific role in ensuring customer demand is met, said Vice President and Senior Production Officer Nik Budney.

“Flexibility across our Generation fleet is one of our greatest strengths,” Budney said. “When temperatures are extreme and demand is at its highest, it takes both a diverse mix of generation resources and the dedicated people behind them to keep the lights on.”

Budney said Generation’s work provides ongoing cost savings for customers and efficiencies that further strengthen Alabama Power’s reliability and its service to customers.

“Natural gas, coal, hydro, solar and other clean energy technologies, combined with the expertise of our employees, ensure we can deliver safe, reliable and affordable power to our 1.6 million customers,” he added.

Courtesy of Alabama News Center