McWilliams
Natural gas power plant · Covington County, Alabama
Nameplate capacity
654 MW
Rank in Alabama
#19
of 80 plants
In service since
1954
December 1954
Details
- Primary fuel
- Natural gas
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle
- Operator
- PowerSouth Energy Cooperative
- County
- Covington County
- Generating units
- 7
- Share of state capacity
- 1.98%
- Rank among natural gas plants in Alabama
- #13 of 24
- EIA plant code
- 533
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VAN3 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 177 MW | 174 MW | 2002 | Operating |
| VAN1 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 165 MW | 168 MW | 2002 | Operating |
| VAN2 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 165 MW | 168 MW | 2002 | Operating |
| 4 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 107 MW | 109 MW | 1996 | Operating |
| 3 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 25 MW | 15 MW | 1959 | Operating |
| 1 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 7.5 MW | 8.0 MW | 1954 | Operating |
| 2 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 7.5 MW | 8.0 MW | 1954 | Operating |
Nameplate is the maximum rated output; summer capacity is what the unit can reliably deliver on a hot day, which is typically lower.
Similarly sized plants in Alabama
| McIntosh (AL) | Natural gas | 676 MW |
| Wilson Dam | Hydro | 667 MW |
| Wheeler Dam | Hydro | 404 MW |
| Theodore Cogen Facility | Natural gas | 317 MW |
About this data
From EIA’s inventory of operable generators, May 2026 release. Capacity is nameplate — the maximum rated output of the equipment, not what the plant actually generates over a year, which depends on how often it runs. A 654 MW solar plant and a 654 MW nuclear plant have the same entry here and produce very different amounts of electricity.
“In service since” is the earliest in-service date among the units still listed, so a site rebuilt around newer equipment can read as younger than the site itself. All Alabama power plants · What Alabama actually generates