In the television cartoon series The Simpsons, the city of Springfield is a "company town" and the company in question is the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. The plant provides all of the city's power, but is chronically mismanaged and endangers much of the town with its presence. Based on the plant's appearance and certain episode plots, it likely houses only a single "Unit" or reactor (although, judging from the number of reactor domes and cooling towers, it may also have two). There has been speculation that the plant is loosely based on the now decommissioned Trojan Nuclear Power Plant in Rainier, Oregon, near Matt Groening's hometown of Portland, Oregon.

Employees

• Charles Montgomery Burns, owner and C.E.O. of the plant for the past 62 years. Save for a few isolated absences (i.e. purchase by Germans and brief poverty), he has been the Power Plant's sole proprietor since inheriting it.

• Waylon Smithers, is Montgomery Burns's Executive Assistant and adoring henchman. While he appears to de facto run much of the plant's day-to-day administration, his main job is tending to Mr. Burns, and often trying to talk him out of his more outrageous schemes.

• Homer Simpson, currently works in Sector 7G as the Safety Inspector and has been with the company in some capacity since the birth of his first child. He frequently takes "leaves of absence" from (or flat-out quits) his job whenever something interesting comes up. This typically goes either unnoticed or without consequence by his superiors. Despite the fact that the safety of the plant - and Springfield - has been imperiled more than once on Homer's watch, he still keeps his job. Homer is the lowest-ranking person in the power plant flowchart, subordinate to an inanimate carbon rod.

• Carl Carlson, along with Lenny, Carl is not just Homer's coworker but one of his best friends since childhood, and he likes to call himself "an urban Lenny." He is black and handsome, a Buddhist with a master's degree in Nuclear Physics, fond of bowling and having a drink at Moe's. He is likely a liberal in terms of his politics, having described local talk show host Birch Barlow as "a right-wing crackpot". But these are the only definitive details given. He has stated in passing that he has a family and that he's Homer's supervisor, but he mostly keeps things to himself due to his uncontrollably abrasive tongue.

• Lenford "Lenny" Leonard, the nasal-voiced friend and co-worker of Homer. A Chicago native, he is unmarried, a Buddhist, often described as plain looking, and though possessing a master's degree he's undeniably dumb. His living arrangements have included a house that is literally falling apart around him and a beautifully furnished apartment that shares a glass wall with a jai alai court. His relationship with Carl is complicated. Lifelong friends, Lenny clearly adores Carl. Carl is the dominant partner and generally regards Lenny coolly. They are nonetheless constant companions. Lenny is a persistent bachelor with poor luck with women. However, Carl mentioned singing "The Best is yet to Come" at Lenny's wedding. When Mr. Burns became bankrupt, the bank puts Lenny in charge of the plant. Lenny also has a very sensitive eye; he is not supposed to get pudding or jigsaw puzzle pieces in it (this has become a running gag). Lenny was also in a horror movie called "The Re-Deadening", about a doll who is possessed by spirit of a psychotic killer (see Child's Play). In the movie, Lenny is a gardener who is killed by the doll. Lenny is probably a Republican since he has a tattoo on his chest supporting Bob Dole and Jack Kemp from the 1996 presidential election (or because he just wanted a flag tattoo). However, a few years earlier he had described himself as "politically correct" and that local talk show host Birch Barlow's right-wing views made him "uncomfortable". Homer also mentions that Lenny was a three-time juror and a war hero, though Homer does not know what war Lenny fought in. It has been hinted several times that Lenny and Carl might be gay, most notably in "Half-Decent Proposal " when Lenny tells Homer about Mt. Carlmore, a mountain that he carved Carl's face into "one wonderful summer".

• Charlie, the bespectacled dangerous emissions supervisor. Often quiet and working in the background, he is a known militiaman and can frequently be found at Moe's Tavern after hours. Once landed a pencil in Homer Simpsons Butt Crack, thus stopping Homer's Train of Thought (Dental Plan! Lisa needs braces!) and used his sister's prosthetic leg as a softball bat so he could join the power plants team.

• Frank "Grimey" Grimes, hired as executive vice-president and immediately replaced, he was assigned to Sector 7G. As a self-made man who suffered through the worst of life's obstacles, he was naturally outraged at Homer's countless faults, both professional and personal, and his enormous success in spite of them (becoming an astronaut; winning a Grammy, etc.). Attempts by both sides to "deal with" their differences only exasperated the situation, resulting in Grimes's freakish and untimely death. He fathered a son (Frank Grimes, Jr.) with a prostitute, who tried to kill Homer in revenge for his father.

• Mindy Simmons, one of the only female employees hired under equal opportunity statute (guest-voiced by Michelle Pfeiffer), and Homer's soul mate. On a trip to promote nuclear power in Capital City, they nearly have an affair. Following Homer's decision not to pursue a relationship, Mindy was dismissed from the plant due to alcohol abuse.

• Jack Marley, a long time employee who was retired against his will.

• Unnamed supervisor, Sherri and Terri's father (no surname ever given, though Homer referred to him as Eugene Fisk), formerly Homer's supervisor.

• Unnamed supervisor, Homer claims he is one of the guys he never sees at work.

• Carol, member of payroll.

• Mike, married member of shipping. Burns thought he and Carol were going to hook up.

• Tibor, Homer's co-worker who eventually becomes his superior, and also whom Homer thanked for having "saved my (his) butt." He was used as a scapegoat for other employees' mistakes since he was also known as "the guy who doesn't speak any English", and is an unseen character. He is a relatively dumb character.

• Unnamed, worker whose hand was enlarged a hundred times after exposure to radioactive waste.

• Zutroy, the dangerous emissions supervisor hired when Charlie was temporarily disposed of. He is "American as apple pie", according to Burns.

• Canary M. Burns, canary, the one-time legal owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant for reasons of prosecutory evasion by de facto owner Montgomery Burns. Now living in the Canary Islands.

• Unknown, doberman, the heroic dog made executive vice-president in lieu of previous choice, Frank Grimes in lieu of previous choice, Waylon Smithers.

• Queenie, chicken, a temporary replacement for Homer, deceased and consumed by Homer.

• Stuart, duck, an employee charged with intra-plant waste transport.

• Blinky, three-eyed fish, inadvertent resultant of the power plant's radioactive output and some-time mascot. Actually, one of many so "evolved" creatures found in Springfield's waters.

• Inanimate Carbon Rod, named the plant's "Worker of the Week" after all others but prior to Homer. It becomes famous for saving the spaceship Homer was on with Buzz Aldrin in Deep Space Homer, although Homer suggested its use to close a faulty opening. For its heroism, the rod was named Time Magazine's Man of the Year. According to the SNPP flowchart, the rod out-ranks Homer.

• Brick, another office fill-in during one of Homer's absences.

• Bernie, plant employee assigned with Homer and another unnamed employee to watch a bee contained in a jar in the basement during a plant inspection.

To win a bet between the Shelbyville Power Plant, Mr. Burns hired professional baseball players to play for SNPP's company softball team. The parentheses indicate the misfortune that the player had.

• Roger Clemens, security guard, softball team player (Hypnotized into thinking he is a chicken)

• Wade Boggs, janitor, softball team player (Knocked out by Barney Gumble in a bar argument)

• Ken Griffey Jr., lunchroom cashier, softball team player (Gigantism caused by overdose of nerve tonic)

• Steve Sax, softball team player (Six consecutive life sentences for various unsolved murders in New York City)

• Don Mattingly, softball team player (Booted off team for having sideburns that only Mr. Burns can see)

• Darryl Strawberry, softball team player (Only professional player not to have a misfortune, although he was taken out (because he and the opposing pitcher were both left-handed) during the only game he played at SNPP)

• Ozzie Smith, softball team player (Vanished off the face of the Earth while visiting the "Springfield Mystery Spot")

• Mike Scioscia, softball team player (Radiation poisoning)

• Jose Canseco, softball team player (Occupied by rescuing items and people from a burning house)

Related Characters

• A variety of nuclear regulators, safety inspectors, and immigration agents periodically make visits to the plant.

• Aristotle "Ari" Amadopolis, the owner of the Shelbyville Nuclear Powerplant. His relationship with Montgomery resides within the area of competitive mutual respect. He has collaborated with Montgomery Burns on safety measures in the past and been known to meet him in a modest wager. He is based on late Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis.

• Hans, Fritz, & Horst, the faces of the German consortium that briefly owned the power plant during Montgomery's temporary retirement.

• Mrs. Burns, Montgomery's 122 year old mother from the deep South. She had an unforgivable affair with President Taft, but her capacities are now so limited she can only dial a telephone and yell.

• Larry Burns, Montgomery's illegitimate son. Born in 1940, he has been an all-around failure both with and without the resources his father's station provides. Voiced by and modeled after Rodney Dangerfield, right down to the trademark tie tug.

• Lily Bancroft, daughter of Montgomery's Yale classmate Mimsy and mother of his illegitimate son, Larry Burns. She was sent off to be a nun in the South Seas.

• Waylon Smithers Sr., the first administrative assistant to Montgomery and the father of Waylon. He died while preventing a meltdown to save both his son and the town.

• Frank Grimes Jr., the illegitimate son of Frank Grimes due to the latter's apparent fondness for prostitutes. He attempted to exact revenge upon Homer Simpson for his father's early death.

See also: List of characters from The Simpsons