Did you know that Alabama is home to two nuclear power plants? They are located in the corners of the state – one is up in northwest Alabama and another, Plant Farley, is located in the southeast corner of the state near Dothan. Plant Farley opened in 1977 and produces almost 10% of the state’s total power. Since its opening, the plant has generated more than 350 million megawatts. For context, that’s enough electricity to power every Alabama Power customer’s home for 25 years.

The plant is owned by Alabama Power and operated by Southern Nuclear. Those two entities and partners at the county, state (Alabama and Georgia) and federal level gathered in multiple locations this week to conduct a full-scale exercise for a hostile action at the plant. From the “boots on the ground” response to the movement of resources to communicating updates to the public, every aspect of a potential disaster and response were practiced.

These exercises are graded by representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The concept behind the exercise is to determine potential shortcomings in the response to such a disaster before it happens – giving everyone involved an opportunity to address and resolve those issues before they become critical.

Dothan-Houston County EMA
Henry County, AL EMA
Early County, GA EMA