As international leaders continue discussions in Paris about addressing climate change, one Alabama Power plant has been supplying customers with significant amounts of reliable, carbon-free energy for decades.

Nearly a quarter of the electricity produced by Alabama Power for its 1.4 million customers is the clean, safe, affordable and reliable nuclear energy generated at Plant Farley near Dothan. Combined with the Tennessee Valley Authority’s nuclear units in the northern part of the state, Plant Farley contributes to the production of 76 percent of Alabama’s emission-free electricity generation, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI).

“A lower-carbon economy would have to consider nuclear energy as a part of the energy mix,” said John Kelley, Alabama Power’s director of Forecasting and Resource Planning.

“Nuclear energy is a critical component of our diverse energy portfolio, helping us meet the needs of our customers while keeping the price of energy affordable,” Kelley added.

Nuclear energy is the only emission-free source that can economically produce large amounts of electricity 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A single uranium fuel pellet the size of a pencil eraser contains the same amount of energy as 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas, 1,780 pounds of coal or 149 gallons of oil, according to NEI figures.

Plant Farley is also a vital part of the Wiregrass economy, providing hundreds of jobs in Southeast Alabama, and significant tax revenues to local communities. The nuclear energy industry is also important to Alabama businesses. More than $158 million of materials and services for the industry are purchased annually from more than 190 Alabama companies, NEI reports.

To read more about the clean air benefits of nuclear energy, visit the Nuclear Energy Institute website. More information about Plant Farley can be found at Alabama Power.