POWERGRAMS

HISTORY Powell Avenue served city for more than a century A fter more than a century, Powell Avenue Steam Plant will soon change direction, moving ahead into a new future in line with the progressive growth underway in downtown Birmingham. "Although we're shutting down the plant, we're investigating our options," said Birmingham Division Area Manager Tony Smoke. "We want to turn it into a multiuse facility that's complementary to the redevelopment of Birmingham. But no matter what we choose to do, it will be something that will make us all proud." Alabama Power ended steam production at the plant on March 14. At the same time, ownership of the steam system was transferred to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), the Powell Avenue plant's largest customer. UAB also bought the Southside Steam Plant across from Bartow Arena. "From a business perspective, the company felt it had to close the Powell Avenue plant because there wasn't a substantial market for steam," Smoke said. One of the few surviving 19th century power plants in the nation, the 400-foot by 170-foot Powell Avenue facility has a rich history closely intertwined with Birmingham. In 1896, 10 years before Alabama Power was founded, Consolidated Electric Light Co. built the facility adjacent to railroad tracks for convenient delivery of fuel. In those early days, the plant used low-pressure steam from the generating process to heat buildings on the north side of downtown. Beginning in 1914, Consolidated Electric began buying wholesale electricity from Alabama Power. Consolidated Electric later became Birmingham Electric Company. BECO generated direct-current electricity at the Powell Avenue plant to power the city's extensive streetcar system. A few years before Alabama Power merged with BECO in 1952, a high- Photos by Bill Snow Most Powell Avenue employees are transferring to other locations. All Out of Steam Controls switched off on March 14. pressure steam system was installed at Powell Avenue. The steam was used for sterilization, heating, laundry, cooking and humidity control needs of the developing medical center, which included Jefferson-Hillman and Veterans hospitals. After Alabama Power took the reins, the Powell Avenue plant stopped generating electricity and focused solely on steam production. In recent years, the plant's largest customers have been UAB, the Eye Foundation, Veterans Affairs Hospital and Southern Research Institute. "With the dwindling of the business district on the north side, our high-pressure steam customers have accounted for 90 percent of our load," Dale Dambach said, adding low-pressure steam production ceased in 2011. Since employees flipped off the switches on the plant's seven boilers in March, they have been working through the process of decommissioning the facility, said Dambach, Powell Avenue Operations superintendent. PAGE 6 Historic plant building in downtown Birmingham. "We had to cut the outside steam lines loose from the plant and seal them so UAB's steam can't get into our system," he said. Powell Avenue employees are working with Investment Recovery to disconnect the equipment, pack the spare parts inventory and load anything that can be sold, Dambach said. As the plant closes, its 24 employees agree it has been a great ride. While two of the employees are set to retire, the remaining are transferring to other generating plants. "We're like a close-knit family," said Power Supply Mechanic Wilbur Thornton, who has worked at the plant for 27 years. "We've always kept each other on track and focused on the job and on safety. And we've laughed and talked a lot, and shared our experiences." "We care about each other. If somebody needed something done or had a tragedy in their life, we always went to help them out and do anything we could for them," said Ellis Key, a longtime Distribution foreman at Powell Avenue before moving to his job as line construction coordinator in the Birmingham Division Network Underground group in April. Crew Foreman Carson Franklin said he will treasure the memories he's shared with co-workers during his 20 years at the plant. "I hate to see it close, but things happen that way," said Franklin, who will retire after the shutdown. "I've had a good career here. The company's been good to me, and the Lord's been very good to me. I wish everybody the best." The business of closing the plant, Smoke said, has been a team effort, with Power Delivery, Marketing, Environmental Affairs, Rates and Regulatory, Supply Chain, Human Resources, Corporate Services, Corporate Real Estate, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and plant employees all playing a role. "It was a yeoman's effort," he said. "Overall, everybody did an outstanding job as we transitioned out of the steam business. I think everybody rose to the occasion and did what we needed to do." By Carla Davis

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