GridPlants

Jack McDonough

Natural gasGeorgiaFirst unit online 1971

Jack McDonough is a natural gas plant in Cobb County, Georgia, operated by Georgia Power Co. By nameplate capacity it is the 17th-largest power plant in the United States and the third-largest in Georgia. Among the 1,961 natural gas plants in the country it is the fifth-largest. It is the biggest of Georgia’s 30 natural gas plants.

Nameplate capacity, 2025

2,848 MW

2,535 MW net summer capacity

11 operable units

  • Gas combined cycle2,765 MW97%
  • Oil-fired83.6 MW2.9%

Unit by unit, 1963 to 2025

operating in 2025retiredbar height follows unit size

Unit 1 Coal steam, 299 MW, 1963–2012
Unit 2 Coal steam, 299 MW, 1964–2011
Unit 3A Oil-fired, 41.8 MW, 1971
Unit 3B Oil-fired, 41.8 MW, 1971
Unit 4 Gas combined cycle, 369 MW, 2011
Unit CT4A Gas combined cycle, 276 MW, 2011
Unit CT4B Gas combined cycle, 276 MW, 2011
Unit 5 Gas combined cycle, 369 MW, 2012
Unit 5ACT Gas combined cycle, 276 MW, 2012
Unit 5BCT Gas combined cycle, 276 MW, 2012
Unit 6 Gas combined cycle, 369 MW, 2012
Unit 6ACT Gas combined cycle, 276 MW, 2012
Unit 6BCT Gas combined cycle, 276 MW, 2012

Among Georgia’s plants

Largest plants in the state by nameplate capacity, with the plants ranked next to this one.

  1. 1Vogtle4,658 MW
  2. 2Bowen3,499 MW
  3. 3Jack McDonoughthis plant
  4. 4Scherer2,673 MW
  5. 5Edwin I Hatch1,848 MW

All power plants in Georgia

Other rankings

Plants in the Southern Company balancing area
4th of 335
Plants run by Georgia Power Co
3rd of 43
Biggest single unit, among Georgia’s plants
6th of 261

Operable units

Four units can switch between natural gas and oil. By the year its oldest working unit started, it is the third-oldest of Georgia’s natural gas plants.

UnitTechnologyNameplateSummerOnlineStatus
3AOil-fired41.8 MW32 MW1971Operating
3BOil-fired41.8 MW32 MW1971Operating
4Gas combined cycle369 MW360 MW2011Operating
CT4AGas combined cycle276 MW238 MW2011Operating
CT4BGas combined cycle276 MW238 MW2011Operating
5Gas combined cycle369 MW360 MW2012Operating
5ACTGas combined cycle276 MW232 MW2012Operating
5BCTGas combined cycle276 MW232 MW2012Operating
6Gas combined cycle369 MW345 MW2012Operating
6ACTGas combined cycle276 MW233 MW2012Operating
6BCTGas combined cycle276 MW233 MW2012Operating

Retired units

Retired capacity here totals 598 MW, mostly coal units.

UnitTechnologyNameplateIn service
2Coal steam299 MW1964–2011
1Coal steam299 MW1963–2012

Grid and site

Balancing area
Southern Company
Reliability region
SERC Reliability Corporation
Highest grid connection voltage
230 kV
Water source
Chattahoochee River
Nearest town on record
Smyrna
Operator type
Utility
Coordinates
33.824°N, 84.476°W

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See every natural gas plant in Georgia in the plant finder Natural gas plants nationwide