E C GASTON
OperatingCoal power plant
- Capacity
- 2,034 MW
- Primary fuel
- Coal
- County
- Shelby County
- Operator
- ALABAMA POWER CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1960
- EIA plant ID
- 26
- Generators
- 6
- Net generation (2024)
- 3,281 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 18%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 33.2442, -86.4581
E C GASTON, a 2,034 MW Coal power plant in Shelby County, Alabama. Operated by ALABAMA POWER CO, commissioned 1960.
How E C GASTON compares
With 2,034 MW of capacity, E C GASTON ranks 4th among the 64 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Alabama and 3rd of the 7 operating Coal plants in the state. It accounts for about 18% of Alabama's operating Coal capacity and 6.4% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 31st-largest of the 324 operating Coal plants in the database. Commissioned in 1960, it is older than 76% of the 64 operating Alabama plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, ALABAMA POWER CO, runs 22 operating plants in Alabama totaling 12,989 MW.
Under the same EIA plant code, EIA-860 lists 6 generators at the site with 2,034 MW of nameplate capacity. Net generation was 3,281 GWh in 2024 (an 18% capacity factor), down 19% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1960 and 1974.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line owned by ALABAMA POWER CO, under 0.1 miles away. Another 4 operating power plants totaling 434 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is LAY DAM (177 MW, Hydro).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
E C GASTON is a 2,034 MW coal power plant in Shelby County, AL, operated by ALABAMA POWER CO, commissioned in 1960. Shelby County carries moderate modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.1 of 5 at the 28th national percentile. Tornado is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 98th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a coal plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Shelby County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado | Relatively High | 98th | 4.9 of 5 | 0.81 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 78th | 4.1 of 5 | 1.9 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 70th | 3.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 59th | 3.4 of 5 | 70.5 |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 51st | 3.0 of 5 | 0.06 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 46th | 2.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 38th | 2.5 of 5 | 7.7 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Moderate | 38th | 2.5 of 5 | 0.41 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 29th | 2.2 of 5 | 3.7 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 14th | 1.6 of 5 | 2.8 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 10th | 1.4 of 5 | 1.9 |
Perils not assessed in Shelby County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Shelby County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.