MCWILLIAMS
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 654 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- Covington County
- Operator
- POWERSOUTH ENERGY COOPERATIVE
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1954
- EIA plant ID
- 533
- Generators
- 7
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle
- Net generation (2024)
- 2,899 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 50%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 31.4003, -86.4764
MCWILLIAMS, a 654 MW Natural Gas power plant in Covington County, Alabama. Operated by POWERSOUTH ENERGY COOPERATIVE, commissioned 1954.
How MCWILLIAMS compares
With 654 MW of capacity, MCWILLIAMS ranks 18th among the 64 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Alabama and 9th of the 16 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 6.4% of Alabama's operating Natural Gas capacity and 2.1% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 225th-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 1954, it is older than 78% of the 64 operating Alabama plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, POWERSOUTH ENERGY COOPERATIVE, runs 5 operating plants in Alabama totaling 1,984 MW. It shares Covington County with 2 other operating plants, POINT A and GANTT.
EIA-860 lists 7 generators at the site with 654 MW of nameplate capacity, all natural gas fired combined cycle technology. Net generation was 2,899 GWh in 2024 (a 50% capacity factor), down 26% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1954 and 2002.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by ALABAMA POWER CO, under 0.1 miles away. Another 2 operating power plants totaling 8 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is POINT A (5 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
MCWILLIAMS is a 654 MW natural gas power plant in Covington County, AL, operated by POWERSOUTH ENERGY COOPERATIVE, commissioned in 1954. Covington County carries critical modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 4.2 of 5 at the 81st national percentile. Hurricane is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 97th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a natural gas plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Covington County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively High | 97th | 4.9 of 5 | 0.18 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 77th | 4.1 of 5 | 0.61 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 73rd | 3.9 of 5 | 75.2 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 70th | 3.8 of 5 | 0.94 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 50th | 3.0 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 43rd | 2.7 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 38th | 2.5 of 5 | 2.1 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 37th | 2.5 of 5 | 7.3 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 35th | 2.4 of 5 | 0.12 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 29th | 2.2 of 5 | 0.74 |
| Hail | Very Low | 13th | 1.5 of 5 | 1.4 |
Perils not assessed in Covington 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 Covington 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.