You’ve probably seen the massive stacks rising above the Mobile River if you’ve ever spent time near Bucks, Alabama. That’s the James M. Barry Electric Generating Plant—or Plant Barry, as everyone around here actually calls it. It isn't just another industrial site. For decades, it’s been the backbone of the region's power grid, a massive complex owned by Alabama Power that has sat at the center of heated debates over coal, water quality, and the future of how we keep the lights on in the South.
It’s huge.
The footprint of Plant Barry covers roughly 1,000 acres. While a lot of people think of it as just a "coal plant," that’s actually outdated info. The facility is a hybrid monster now. It runs units that burn coal and units that run on natural gas. It’s a transition point for the entire state’s energy strategy, and honestly, it’s also one of the most scrutinized pieces of infrastructure in the Gulf Coast region.
What’s Actually Happening with the Coal Ash at Plant Barry?
If you follow Alabama news, you know the biggest "elephant in the room" is the coal ash. Specifically, the 21 million tons of it sitting in a 600-acre unlined pit right next to the Mobile River. Coal ash is the byproduct of burning coal for decades. It’s full of stuff you don’t want in your drinking water—arsenic, mercury, lead.
The controversy is simple: Alabama Power wants to leave it there. They call it "cap-in-place." Basically, they drain the water, cover the ash with a high-tech liner and soil, and monitor it forever. Environmental groups like Mobile Baykeeper and the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) are, frankly, terrified of this. They look at the geography—low-lying wetlands, hurricane-prone coastlines, and a river that leads directly into Mobile Bay—and they see a ticking time bomb.
Think about it this way. If a major hurricane or a massive flood event hits the delta just right, that "capped" pit is sitting right in the line of fire. Critics point to the 2008 Kingston Fossil Plant spill in Tennessee as the nightmare scenario. There, a dike failed and released over a billion gallons of coal ash slurry. It was a disaster. At Plant Barry, the ash sits in the "Mobile-Tensaw Delta," an incredibly biodiverse ecosystem often called "America’s Amazon." The stakes are pretty high.
Alabama Power maintains that their engineering is solid. They argue that moving 21 million tons of ash by truck or rail would take over a decade, cost billions, and create its own set of massive environmental and safety risks for the surrounding communities. It’s a classic standoff between corporate engineering and environmental advocacy.
💡 You might also like: 39 Carl St and Kevin Lau: What Actually Happened at the Cole Valley Property
The Shift to Natural Gas and the Death of "Coal Only"
Plant Barry isn't stuck in the 1950s. While Units 4 and 5 still use coal, the site has seen a massive influx of natural gas capacity. In fact, Units 6 and 7 are combined-cycle natural gas units. This shift is happening everywhere, but at Barry, it’s particularly visible because of the scale.
Why the switch? Economics and regulations.
Natural gas became incredibly cheap over the last decade. It also burns cleaner than coal—at least in terms of carbon dioxide and sulfur. But don’t think coal is gone yet. Plant Barry remains one of the few places where coal is still a vital part of the "baseload" power. When the temperature drops to 15 degrees in Mobile or spikes to 100 in July, that coal capacity provides a reliability cushion that natural gas alone struggles to match during peak demand.
Carbon Capture: The Billion-Dollar Experiment
One thing most people don't realize is that Plant Barry was the site of one of the world’s most significant carbon capture and storage (CCS) experiments. Working with the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the Southern Company, they built a pilot plant to "scrub" CO2 from the flue gas of Unit 5.
They weren't just catching the gas; they were shipping it.
The captured CO2 was transported via a 12-mile pipeline to the Citronelle oil field. There, it was injected deep underground into a saline aquifer. It worked. Between 2011 and 2014, they captured over 150,000 metric tons of CO2. It proved that the technology functions on a massive scale. However, it also proved how expensive it is. While the experiment was a technical success, we haven't seen a full-scale rollout across the entire plant because the costs are still astronomical compared to just switching to solar or gas.
📖 Related: Effingham County Jail Bookings 72 Hours: What Really Happened
A Quick Look at the Numbers (No Fluff)
- Total Capacity: Roughly 2,600+ Megawatts. That is enough to power over half a million homes.
- The River: It uses the Mobile River for cooling water, which is why the location is so strategic.
- Employment: It’s a major economic engine for Mobile County, providing hundreds of high-paying specialized jobs.
- The Coal Ash Pit: 600 acres. To put that in perspective, that’s about 450 football fields.
The Legal War Over the Delta
You can't talk about Barry without talking about the courts. The EPA has been back and forth on coal ash rules for years. Under the Biden administration, the EPA signaled a much tougher stance, basically telling states like Alabama that "cap-in-place" might not meet federal standards if the ash is sitting in groundwater.
Alabama Power and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) have generally stayed in lockstep, defending the current closure plans. But the pressure is mounting. In other states like South Carolina and North Carolina, utilities were eventually forced to dig up their ash and move it to lined landfills away from waterways.
Whether that happens at Barry is the multi-billion dollar question. If the courts eventually rule that the ash must be moved, it will be one of the largest construction projects in Alabama history. It would also likely lead to a significant spike in power bills for every customer in the state.
Understanding the "Mobile-Tensaw" Sensitivity
Why do people care so much about this specific plant compared to others? It’s the location. The Mobile-Tensaw Delta is a literal world treasure. We’re talking about a massive wetland system that filters water for the entire Gulf. It's home to manatees, rare lilies, and more species of turtles than almost anywhere else on Earth.
When a plant like Barry operates in that environment, everything is magnified. The thermal discharge (the warm water pumped back into the river) affects fish patterns. The potential for runoff affects the mercury levels in the fish you might catch on a Saturday morning. It’s a delicate balance between needing massive amounts of industrial power and wanting to keep the "Amazon of the South" from becoming a polluted wasteland.
What This Means for You
If you live in Alabama, Plant Barry is why your AC works. It’s also why your power bill is what it is. The transition away from coal and the eventual resolution of the coal ash lawsuits will dictate energy costs for the next thirty years.
👉 See also: Joseph Stalin Political Party: What Most People Get Wrong
Honestly, the "green" transition isn't just about wind turbines and solar panels. It’s about these old, massive industrial sites figuring out how to evolve. Barry is a living example of that evolution. It’s got 1950s roots, 2010s carbon-capture tech, and a 2020s legal battle over its waste.
Actionable Insights for Concerned Residents
If you want to keep tabs on what's actually happening at the site, don't just wait for the evening news. There are specific things you can do to stay informed.
Monitor the Groundwater Reports
Alabama Power is required by federal law (the CCR Rule) to post groundwater monitoring data on their public website. You can find these by searching for "Alabama Power CCR Rule Compliance Data." It’s a bit dense, but look for "Assessment Monitoring Results." It will tell you exactly which chemicals are being detected in the wells around the ash pond.
Check the ADEM E-File
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management has a public record system called "eFile." If you search for "Plant Barry," you can see every permit violation, inspection report, and communication between the state and the utility. It’s the most transparent way to see if the plant is actually following the rules.
Engage with Local Watershed Groups
Organizations like Mobile Baykeeper do their own independent testing. If you’re worried about the river, they are usually the first ones to flag issues that the official reports might gloss over. They also provide plain-English summaries of the legal filings that can otherwise be impossible to read.
Voice Your Opinion on Rate Cases
The cost of closing these ash ponds or building new gas units eventually hits your wallet. The Alabama Public Service Commission (PSC) oversees these costs. Showing up to meetings or submitting public comments regarding "environmental compliance costs" is the only way to have a say in how much of the cleanup bill is passed on to you.
The situation at Plant Barry is a reminder that energy isn't free—it has a footprint. Whether that footprint is managed safely or left as a legacy for the next generation is the debate currently playing out in the Alabama wetlands. There is no simple "off" switch for a plant this size, so the focus has to remain on transparency and the long-term protection of the Mobile River.