Southern Company

Southern Company
	File:Southern Company logo.svg Logo of Southern Company
Company type	Public
Industry	Utilities (Gas and Electric)
Founded	November 9, 1945; 81 years ago in Delaware, United States
Headquarters	Atlanta, United States
Area served	Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia
Key people	Chris Womack (Chairman, President, and CEO), Daniel (Dan) Tucker (Executive Vice President and CFO)
Products	Electricity and natural gas utility services
Number of employees	28600 (2024)
Website	www.southerncompany.com

Southern Company stands as a prominent American utility holding corporation specializing in gas and electric services, with its headquarters located in Atlanta, Georgia and executive offices situated in Birmingham, Alabama. As of 2021, it holds the position of the second largest utility in the United States by customer count, catering to 9 million electricity and gas consumers across six states: Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia. Its regulated regional electric utilities oversee an extensive network of distribution lines covering a substantial service area.

The company’s operations are carried out through various subsidiaries such as Southern Company Gas, Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Mississippi Power, Southern Company Services, Southern Linc, Southern Nuclear, Southern Company Generation, Southern Power, Southern Telecom, and PowerSecure. In 2024, Southern Company reported revenues of , operating income of , and net income of , supported by total assets valued at and shareholder equity of . The workforce comprises roughly 28,600 employees.

Leadership includes Chairman, President, and CEO Chris Womack along with Executive Vice President and CFO Daniel (Dan) Tucker. The company’s strategic approach centers on regulated utility operations with a focus on broadening its presence in the southeastern United States. It leverages its comprehensive infrastructure and subsidiary network to foster growth and sustain a competitive edge within the energy sector.

Overview

Ranked 163rd on the 2025 Fortune 500 list, Southern Company is a major U.S. energy supplier employing approximately 31,300 individuals. Its subsidiaries are active in developing renewable energy projects nationwide and spearheaded the launch of the first new nuclear units in three decades at Plant Vogtle near Augusta, Georgia.

The company’s primary retail operating entities—Alabama Power, Georgia Power, and Mississippi Power—collectively serve an area spanning 120,000 square miles across three states. Southern Power focuses on wholesale electricity generation across the country, while Southern Company Gas provides utility services in seven states.

Southern Company’s principal subsidiaries include:

Alabama Power – headquartered in Birmingham, serving the southern two-thirds of Alabama.
Georgia Power – based in Atlanta, providing service to nearly all areas of Georgia.
Mississippi Power – located in Gulfport, serving the Mississippi Gulf Coast region.
Southern Company Services – offers centralized services from Birmingham.
Southern Linc – Atlanta-based cellular communications provider.
Southern Nuclear – operates nuclear facilities including Farley, Hatch, and Vogtle plants.
Southern Company Generation – oversees fossil fuel and hydroelectric power operations.
Southern Power – engaged in wholesale power production.
Southern Telecom – delivers fiber optic communication and data services.
Southern Company Gas – natural gas utility and pipeline management.
Southern Natural Gas Company – manages a 6,900-mile pipeline system through a joint venture with Kinder Morgan.
PowerSecure – specializes in distributed infrastructure technology solutions.
Atlanta Gas Light – supplies natural gas to over 1.6 million customers throughout Georgia.
Chattanooga Gas – serves approximately 66,000 customers in southeastern Tennessee.
Nicor Gas – natural gas provider in northern Illinois.
Virginia Natural Gas – serves customers in southeastern Virginia.
Sequent Energy Management – optimizes natural gas assets and transportation logistics.
Southern Wholesale Energy – markets surplus generating capacity on a wholesale basis.
Southern Company Transmission – administers transmission operations under a FERC-approved tariff.

Prior to 2019, Southern Company owned Gulf Power, an electric utility serving most of Florida’s Panhandle region. In January 2019, Gulf Power was sold to NextEra Energy; by 2022 it had been rebranded as Florida Power & Light.

History

Southern Company traces its beginnings to 1924 with the establishment of Southeastern Power & Light, which served as a holding entity for Alabama Traction, Light and Power (founded in 1906), the forerunner of Alabama Power. The company expanded by launching Mississippi Power in 1924 and Gulf Power in 1925, followed by a merger with Georgia Power (originated in 1902) in 1926. In 1930, Southeastern Power & Light became part of Commonwealth & Southern Corporation, which united five utilities from the North and six from the South. After Commonwealth & Southern dissolved in the late 1940s due to regulatory shifts, four Southern utilities—Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, and Mississippi Power—continued under unified ownership. Southern Company was officially incorporated in Delaware on November 9, 1945, commenced operations in 1949, and moved its headquarters to Georgia in 1950. The company also played a role in the contentious Dixon-Yates contract involving the Atomic Energy Commission during 1954–55.

In 1981, Southern Company broadened its scope by creating Southern Energy, Inc., an unregulated subsidiary focused on global energy ventures across ten countries on four continents. This subsidiary was later separated as Mirant Corporation in 2001. Additionally, Southern Nuclear was formed in 1991 to oversee operations at the system’s nuclear power plants.

Southern Communications Services introduced digital wireless offerings in 1996 under the Southern Linc brand, serving both internal subsidiaries and external customers throughout the Southeast. The following year, Southern Telecom was established to provide colocation and dark fiber optic services for network enterprises.

On January 9, 2001, Southern Company launched Southern Power to own and operate wholesale generation assets aimed at wholesale clients within the Southeast region. Southern Company Gas entered the retail natural gas market in 2002 but divested this business after four years to Gas South, an affiliate of Cobb EMC.

In 2011, Southern Company collaborated with Turner Renewable Energy to acquire a 30 MW solar facility from First Solar located in Cimarron, New Mexico. That same year, Southern Power brought online the Nacogdoches Generating Facility near Sacul, Texas—a biomass-fueled plant with a capacity of 115 MW.

Key acquisitions include PowerSecure in 2016, a company specializing in distributed energy infrastructure technology, and AGL Resources for $12 billion. The latter deal significantly expanded Southern Company's natural gas presence and doubled its customer base to nearly nine million, enhancing both its product offerings and market penetration.

In 2018, Southern Company divested Gulf Power along with its interests in Plant Oleander and Stanton Energy Center to NextEra for $6.5 billion, thereby streamlining its portfolio of assets.

Most recently, in September 2023, Southern Power acquired the Millers Branch Solar Facility—a 200 MW solar project located in Haskell County, Texas—from EDF Renewables North America, further boosting its renewable energy portfolio.

Board of directors

Christopher C. Womack – Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Janaki Akella
Shantella E Cooper
David J. Grain
Donald M. James
John D. Johns

Executive management

Christopher C. Womack – Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Bryan Anderson – Executive Vice President and President of External Affairs
Daniel S. Tucker – Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Stan W. Connally, Jr. – Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Chris Cummiskey – Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer
Martin B. Davis – Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer
Sloane Drake – Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Plant Vogtle

Southern Company’s subsidiaries operate a diverse portfolio of power generation assets, including hydroelectric, coal, natural gas, and nuclear plants, collectively producing nearly 200 terawatt-hours annually. In 2009, coal-fired generation represented 57% of output, nuclear accounted for 23%, natural gas contributed 16%, and hydroelectric power made up 4%. By 2017, coal’s share had declined sharply from an average of 70% during 2005–2008 to just 30%.

In June 2010, the U.S. Department of Energy provided an $8.3 billion loan guarantee to support the construction of two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle near Augusta, Georgia. Georgia Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, holds a 45.7% ownership stake in the existing 2,430 MW facility. Other stakeholders include Oglethorpe Power (30%), the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (22.7%), and the City of Dalton (1.6%). This $14 billion initiative aims to double the plant’s generating capacity by 2022.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu described these reactors as "the first new nuclear power plant to break ground in decades." The project was projected to create up to 3,500 construction jobs along with approximately 800 permanent positions. However, in March 2017, Westinghouse Electric Company—responsible for the reactors’ construction—filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after incurring $9 billion in losses from U.S. nuclear projects. Despite this challenge, the federal loan guarantees totaling $8.3 billion remain in place to support project completion.

Unit 3 commenced commercial operation in July 2023, followed by Unit 4 in April 2024; together these units provide electricity to roughly one million customers.

Plant Ratcliffe

In September 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency implemented new carbon emission standards for power plants, limiting emissions to no more than 1,100 pounds of CO2 per megawatt-hour. Anticipating these regulations, Southern Company began building the Kemper County Energy Facility in June 2010—a modern clean coal plant operated by its subsidiary Mississippi Power. The facility uses abundant lignite from Mississippi combined with innovative Transport Gasifier (TRIG) technology that generates syngas for power production while reducing emissions. Commercial sales of byproducts such as ammonia and sulfuric acid also contribute revenue.

The EPA regards the Kemper project as vital for maintaining coal’s viability amid stricter climate policies, especially after nearly 150 coal plants closed between 2010 and 2014. By April 2014, the U.S. Department of Energy had invested $270 million into the facility. Southern Company anticipates that Kemper will supply electricity to over 187,000 customers while capturing at least 65% of its carbon emissions—exceeding EPA requirements.

Partnerships

Southern Company maintains extensive collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy on initiatives spanning transmission infrastructure upgrades, smart grid development, environmental research efforts, and nuclear energy projects. The company operates the DOE’s National Carbon Capture Center—a central platform advancing carbon capture technologies aimed at lowering greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants through partnerships involving government agencies, industry leaders, and academic institutions.

In addition, Southern Company works with KBR to enhance its TRIG advanced coal gasification technology that processes lignite more efficiently and with reduced environmental impact. This technology is implemented at the Kemper County facility and represents one of the few new coal plants designed to sustain U.S. coal generation by cutting carbon dioxide emissions by approximately two-thirds—meeting stringent EPA standards.

To promote clean coal technologies internationally, Southern Company has partnered with China’s Shenhua Group to collaborate on research and deployment efforts within both countries and beyond. Shenhua’s planned expansion of over 400,000 megawatts of coal-fired capacity by 2035 positions this alliance to facilitate widespread adoption of TRIG technology throughout Asia—addressing China’s carbon reduction goals while utilizing lower-quality coal resources.

In 2009, Southern Company secured a $165 million Smart Grid Investment Grant from the DOE as part of a $363 million project completed in 2014 that modernized its electric grid infrastructure. This smart grid upgrade improves system reliability and enables real-time monitoring and control capabilities—strengthening Southern Company’s leadership in grid management and energy innovation.

Financial data

**Financial figures in millions of dollars**
Year	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Revenue	13,554	14,356	15,353	17,127	15,743	17,456	17,657	16,537	17,087	18,467	17,489	19,896	23,031	23,495	21,419	20,375	23,113	29,279
Net income	1,591	1,573	1,734	1,742	1,643	1,975	2,203	2,350	1,644	1,963	2,367	2,448	842	2,226	4,739	3,119	2,393	3,524
Assets	39,877	42,858	45,789	48,347	52,046	55,032	59,267	63,149	64,546	70,233	78,318	109,697	111,005	116,914	118,700	122,935	127,534	134,891

Carbon footprint

For the year ending December 2020, Southern Company disclosed total CO2e emissions (combining Direct and Indirect sources) of 75,300 kilotonnes—a decrease of 14.8% compared to the previous year. The company aims to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Southern Company's yearly Total CO2e Emissions - Market-Based Scope 1 + Scope 2 (kilotonnes)
Dec 2017	Dec 2018	Dec 2019	Dec 2020
101,200	102,600	88,400	75,300

Political donations

In May 2018 Southern Company contributed $1 million to America First Policies, an organization advocating in support of Donald Trump.

Environmental impact

Southern Company was the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the United States in 2019 with emissions totaling 86.2 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent.

In 2005 the company established a Mercury Research Center at Plant Crist located in Pensacola, Florida to address mercury emission reductions. The following year Alabama Power—a subsidiary—settled for $200 million over allegations regarding excessive SO2 and NOx emissions from the James H. Miller Jr. coal-fired power station.

Facing pressure from environmental groups and investors alike, Southern Company participates in programs such as Renew Our Rivers, which has reported removing more than 11 million pounds of debris from waterways across the Southeastern United States. Additionally it operates the National Carbon Capture Center that collaborates with the Department of Energy to advance carbon capture technologies and reduce greenhouse gases at sites including Plant Gorgas in Alabama and Plant Daniel in Mississippi. Nevertheless critics remain skeptical about carbon capture and storage (CCS), contending it prolongs reliance on fossil fuels.

Climate change denial

Southern Company has been documented as a significant contributor to climate change denial campaigns and has played a key role in spreading misinformation that undermines climate science and efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions while impeding renewable energy progress. Between 1993 and 2004 it allocated over $62 million to groups disseminating climate falsehoods—among them $20 million directed to the Edison Electric Institute for media initiatives opposing advocates of global warming action. During the 1990s Southern Company together with the Center for Energy and Economic Development promoted coal-friendly messaging to educators through satellite broadcasts.

From 2010 through 2020 Southern Company invested upwards of $135 million in federal lobbying activities aimed at shaping energy policy in its favor.

Controversies Surrounding the Kemper Project

In February 2015, the Mississippi Supreme Court mandated that Southern Company’s subsidiary, Mississippi Power, reimburse $377 million to customers for rate hikes linked to the Kemper Project, a so-called "clean" coal facility. These charges had been permitted under Mississippi's Baseload Act, which allows utilities to collect fees during plant construction phases.

By May 2016, both Southern Company and Mississippi Power became subjects of an Securities and Exchange Commission inquiry due to substantial cost escalations and schedule delays at Kemper. Project expenses surged from an initial estimate of $2.88 billion to $6.58 billion. Internal engineering assessments pointed to mismanagement, safety breaches, and potential fraudulent conduct as factors contributing to the project's difficulties.

In June 2016, Treetop Midstream Services filed a lawsuit against Mississippi Power after the latter terminated a contract involving carbon dioxide supply from Kemper’s carbon capture operations. Treetop accused Mississippi Power of deliberately misrepresenting the plant’s operational start date; these allegations were refuted by Mississippi Power. Furthermore, the company unlawfully dismissed a whistleblower who had raised concerns about management’s misleading statements.

Vogtle Nuclear Power Facility

In June 2021, Georgia Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, came under examination by the Georgia Public Service Commission due to pronounced delays and rising expenditures at its Vogtle nuclear power plant located in Burke County, Georgia. The project, valued at approximately $30 billion, encountered additional postponements of up to six months, adversely affecting financial outcomes and prompting questions about project oversight and strategic planning.

Willie Soon

In February 2015, disclosures revealed that climate change skeptic Willie Soon received $1.25 million over 14 years from Southern Company alongside other fossil fuel industry entities such as Exxon Mobil and the American Petroleum Institute. Southern Company was identified as the largest contributor with $469,560 in funding. Soon characterized his scientific work as "deliverables" tailored for fossil fuel executives and permitted anonymous pre-publication reviews. His research, financed by these organizations, advanced the discredited hypothesis attributing climate change primarily to solar activity, thereby challenging established scientific consensus without revealing his financial sponsors. This connection adversely affected Southern Company’s public image amid growing scrutiny regarding environmental accountability.

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