Browns Ferry

Nuclear power plant in Alabama, United States of America. Approximate location 34.7042, -87.1189.

NuclearAlabamaUnited States of America

Browns Ferry is a 3,494 MW nuclear power station in Alabama, United States of America. It is operated by Tennessee Valley Authority. Based on reported annual generation of 29,520 GWh, it can supply roughly 8,434,257 homes. It ranks #7 of 9,833 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1975, it is around 51 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, nuclear supplies about 17.4% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

3,494MW installed capacity
29,520GWh reported / yr
8,434,257homes powered
1975commissioned (~51 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0000046.

Reported generation trend

2013: 26,718 GWh20132014: 26,738 GWh20142015: 27,670 GWh20152016: 26,215 GWh20162017: 27,848 GWh20172018: 25,398 GWh20182019: 29,520 GWh201930k GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Tennessee Valley Authority. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This nuclear plant uses heat from nuclear fission to raise steam for a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 34.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

15.6°Cannual mean temp
1,696heating degree-days (base 18°C)
848cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
198 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 4 °CJF: 6 °CFM: 11 °CMA: 15 °CAM: 20 °CMJ: 24 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 26 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 16 °CON: 11 °CND: 6 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 31% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 38/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #2 largest nuclear power plant of 58 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 58 nuclear power plants in this dataset, together about 104,233 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 34.7042, -87.1189 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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